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This section provides a round-up of news stories related to Environmental crime, both from INTERPOL and from other sources around the world.

Disclaimer: Please note that views and opinions expressed on external websites do not necessarily represent the views of INTERPOL or its employees.

2010    2009    2008   2007

24 February North Atlantic - Plastic Rubbish Blights Atlantic Ocean   Scientists have discovered an area of the North Atlantic Ocean where plastic debris accumulates. The region is said to compare with the well-documented "great Pacific garbage patch".       Read more...

21 February South-East Asia - Monkeys, Butterflies, Turtles… How the Pet Trade's Greed is Emptying South-east Asia's Forests   Countries across south-east Asia are being systematically drained of wildlife to meet a booming demand for exotic pets in Europe and Japan and traditional medicine in China – posing a greater threat to many species than habitat loss or global warming.       Read more...

19 February International - Great White Shark is More Endangered than Tiger, Claims Scientist   Great white sharks may be more endangered than tigers, with only a few thousand left in the world's oceans, according to a leading marine biologist.       Read more...

19 February Australia - Australia tells Japan: Stop Whaling or Face Court   Australia has set a deadline for Japan to stop whaling in the Southern Ocean by November this year, or face international legal action.       Read more...

18 February International - Deep-sea Trawling is Destroying Coral Reefs and Pristine Marine Habitats Deep-sea trawling is devastating corals and pristine marine habitats that have gone untouched since the last ice age, a leading marine biologist has warned.       Read more...

18 February International - Almost Half of all Primates Face 'Imminent Extinction' Almost half of the world's primate species – which include apes, monkeys and lemurs - are threatened with extinction due to the destruction of tropical forests and illegal hunting and trade.       Read more...

16 February India - 'Wildlife Trade Exists Due to Less Funds for Monitor Body' Organised wildlife syndicates across the world including those in India continue to thrive in the absence of adequate funding for security agencies that fight illegal trade, says head of a top global policing body.       Read more...

10 February China - China Sees Vast Pollution China's government said its water is far more polluted and its industry is producing far more waste than previously realized, in a major study that environmentalists welcomed as a step toward greater transparency.       Read more...

8 February China - Fewer Than 50 Wild Tigers Left in China: Expert China has an estimated 50 or fewer tigers left living in the wild, but efforts to stabilize one population in the bleak northeast are starting to pay off, a conservationist said on Monday.       Read more...

7 February China - China Marks Year of Tiger with Drive to Save Biggest Cat China marks year of tiger with drive to save biggest cat       Read more...

5 February Sweden - Sweden Wants Explanation on Baltic Nuclear 'Dumping' The Russian military allegedly dumped nuclear waste into the Baltic Sea in the early 1990s, according to a report on Swedish television. Radioactive material from a military base in Latvia is thought to have been thrown into Swedish waters.       Read more...

5 February Malaysia - End of the Road for Illegal Loggers Following a tip-off from villagers, the Hulu Selangor District and Land Office and Selangor Forestry Department has successfully stopped illegal logging in Hulu Tamu, Hulu Selangor.       Read more...

4 February European Union - Carbon Trading Fraudsters Steal Permits Worth £2.7m in 'Phishing' Scam European Commission launches investigation after 250,000 permits stolen from companies in Germany and Czech Republic by fraudsters who duped companies into giving their details via a fake website.       Read more...

3 February North America - Climate Change Causes Wolverine Decline Across Canada The wolverine, a predator renowned for its strength and tenacious character, may be slowly melting away along with the snowpack upon which it lives. Research shows wolverine numbers are falling across North America. Their decline has been linked to less snow settling as a result of climate change.       Read more...

3 February France - France Backs Ban on Bluefin Tuna Exports France has added its voice to calls for a ban on the global trade in bluefin tuna, the numbers of which have dwindled through overfishing.       Read more...

3 February International - The World's Radioactive Rubbish is Piling Up A report into the problem of disposing of radioactive waste from civilian nuclear power.       Read more...

2 February European Union - Study Calls for EU Waste Enforcer The European Union needs a dedicated agency to oversee and enforce EU waste legislation, a study recommends. Illegal dumping continues on a "significant scale" and "many landfill sites are sub-standard", the report for the European Commission warns.       Read more...

31 January Brunei - Leave peat swamps alone, UK expert advises Brunei Brunei must continue protecting its peatlands, as research has shown that a significant amount of carbon emissions from disturbed, often illegally logged peatlands have been released into the atmosphere in Southeast Asia, said an expert yesterday.       Read more...

31 January USA - Game wardens use night flights to help nab illegal hunters Night hunters are being hunted from the air in Alabama, as poachers try to take advantage of increased deer activity due to the annual rut, or breeding season.       Read more...

31 January International - Surge in ivory poaching fuelled by organised crime, says report The dramatic increase in ivory poaching across Africa is being fuelled by organised crime based in China and the Far East, according to a new report.       Read more...

29 January Thailand - 13 Countries Agree Plan to Save Wild Tigers A dozen Asian nations and Russia vowed Friday to double the number of wild tigers by 2022, crack down on poaching that has devastated the big cats and prohibit the building of roads and bridges that could harm their habitats.       Read more...

29 January Indonesia - Study says military complicit in illegal logging A research conducted by the University of Indonesia revealed that military personnel were involved in illegal logging practice in border areas.       Read more...

27 January Zambia - Employ New Strategies to Curb Wildlife Crime - Namugala Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Catherine Namugala has called for more cooperation and improved strategies among law enforcement agencies if they are to fight the ever-increasing sophistication in wildlife crime.       Read more...

21 January United Kingdom - Time Team-style scanner to uncover illegally buried waste Environment Agency to use new technology to trace buried waste sites and prosecute polluters       Read more...

20 January International - Thai ivory-smuggling ring broken up Crackdown on ivory smugglers as conservationists warn that wealthy buyers in US and Asia are putting fresh pressure on African herds       Read more...

17 January International - Asia's greed for ivory puts African elephant at risk Slaughter by poachers intensifies as governments seek to increase legal sales       Read more...

14 January Arctic - Arctic Polar Bears Imperilled by Man-made Pollution The long term survival of polar bears is being threatened by man-made pollution that is reaching the Arctic.       Read more...

13 January Chad - In Pictures: Saving Chad's Elephants In 2005, almost 4,000 elephants roamed Zoukouma park. Today, only 550 remain. Poaching has devastated the park. A BBC photo report.       Read more...

8 January New Zealand - Poaching Season Targets Native Species Wildlife officials are on full alert as poaching season looms, sparking an increase in the illegal trade of exotic species.       Read more...

7 January Kenya - Shoot Out with Poachers Kenya Wildlife Service officers shot dead two members of a gang in an ambush at Kubihoke area of Igembe North District at around 2000hrs, on 5 January 2010.       Read more...

6 January Kenya - No Ivory Trade Concessions says Kenya The Kenyan government has already given clear indication that they will not budge from their policy of a complete prohibition of trade in ivory and related products during the next CITES conference due in Qatar in March this year.       Read more...

4 January Kenya - Authorities Arrest 'Rhino Poaching Gang' The Kenyan Wildlife Service has arrested a gang suspected of killing a white rhino and cutting off and selling its horns.       Read more...

2 January Kenya - No End to Triton Saga One Year On A year after Triton Petroleum shocked Kenya through disappearance of fuel worth nearly Sh8 billion, the Yagnesh Devani empire in Kenya seems headed for the annals of history.       Read more...

1 January International - Asia's Wildlife Trade An exposé of the world's most notorious wildlife dealer, his special government friend, and his ambitious new plan.       Read more...