Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Committee

Formed in 1992, the Environmental Crime Committee assisted INTERPOL in identifying emerging patterns and trends in the field of environmental crime enforcement.

The Committee acted as a forum in which law enforcement officials could meet face to face in order to discuss new strategies and practices, share experience and expertise, and build the bridges of international cooperation that are vital in the fight against international environmental crime.

During the INTERPOL/UNEP International Chiefs of Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Summit in March 2012, the decision was made to restructure the Environmental Crime Committee. This initiative, known as the Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Committee (ECEC), brings together executive leaders and decision makers from all 190 INTERPOL member countries and from member countries of the UNEP governing council to provide strategic advice on relevant issues and to harness global support.

The  1st Meeting of the Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Committee will be held from 6 to 8 November 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya, alongside meetings of the Wildlife, Pollution and Fisheries Crime Working Groups from 4 to 7 November 2013.

To support the Committee in its function, three working groups lead projects in specific areas:

Wildlife Crime Working Group

The INTERPOL Wildlife Crime Working Group initiates and leads a number of projects to combat the poaching, trafficking, or possession of legally protected flora and fauna.

Far-reaching damage 

Wildlife crime, such as poaching, the traffic in illegal ivory or illegal logging, can lead to the extinction of a species, the loss of biodiversity, and serious damage to the ecosystems that support our very existence. The problems are not limited to individual nations as plants and animals are trafficked across borders, and the overall effects of wildlife crime contribute to global warming and climate change.

Taking action 

Clearly, in today’s global economy there is a need for an international strategy to deal with wildlife crime. The INTERPOL Wildlife Crime Working Group brings together specialized criminal investigators from around the world to work on project-based activities on an international level. 

We encourage participation from environmental experts across the world in order to maximize the global impact of current projects and to devise new initiatives.

Current projects

Communications

The overarching aim is to identify ways and methods to improve the flow and exchange of information between wildlife enforcement agencies, INTERPOL National Central Bureaus and the INTERPOL General Secretariat. 

Project leader – Ben Janse Van Rensburg
Captain, INTERPOL NCB Pretoria
 South African Police Service

Elephant and rhinoceros

This Project supported  Operation Baba. This was Africa's largest-ever operation against wildlife crime and resulted in the seizure of one ton of illegal ivory. The Project Group has reconvened and will be supporting the Programme by conducting operations and training in Africa.

Project leader – Elema Halake Harbala
Deputy Head Intelligence, Security Division
 Kenya Wildlife Service

Forensics

The Forensics project establishes and encourages the communication, cooperation and collaboration between specialists in the field of wildlife forensics and law enforcement officers requiring wildlife forensics services or expertise, and provides complementary services, materials and activities.

Project leader – Ken Goddard
Laboratory Director,
 United States Fish & Wildlife Service

Illegal logging

Illegal logging is a major international concern and contributes to global warming. This newly created project is an initiative that needs support from INTERPOL member countries. Outside this project INTERPOL has already developed, with support from Worldbank, the  Chainsaw project, An INTERPOL perspective on law enforcement in illegal logging.

Project Leader - Marco Fiori,
Superintendent, Head of CITES Investigative Division
 Corpo Forestale dello Stato, Italy

Wildlife operations

This project provides support to INTERPOL Environmental Crime Programme’s operations and ensures that recommendations from INTERPOL Conferences on Environmental Crime are followed, in accordance with the Programme’s strategic plan.

Project leader – Brian Stuart
Head of Unit
 National Wildlife Crime Unit

Executive officers

Chairperson – Klairoong Poonpon
Forestry Technical Officer and Head of the Wildlife Sanctuary Management Section, Department of National Parks,  Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Thailand

Vice Chairperson – Luke Bond
Principal Investigator
 Australia Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities

Treasurer –Ann Panoho,
Senior Investigation, Wildlife Enforcement Group
 New Zealand Customs