The Federal Environment Ministry (BMUKN) and INTERPOL are intensifying their cooperation in the fight against international environmental crime. As part of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC 2026), the two public authorities are bringing together high-level decision-makers from the Global South and North, international organisations, NGOs and companies with global supply chains. The aim is to approach environmental crime as a multidimensional challenge – encompassing environmental protection and nature conservation, security, the rule of law, sustainable development, economic resilience and fair markets.
Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider commented: “Cross-border environmental crime is not a peripheral issue, but a highly profitable criminal business model. Those who illegally harvest timber, exploit raw materials or illegally dispose of waste are not only destroying the natural foundations of life on Earth, but also undermining government institutions and fuelling regional conflicts. The damage to ecosystems is enormous, amounting to more than USD 1 trillion annually; when primeval forests, for example, are destroyed, they can no longer act as the effective climate guardians we depend on. Local communities are the first to feel the direct impacts: when water bodies are overfished, drinking water is poisoned by illegally dumped chemicals and soil is rendered unusable by pollutants. That is why we are stepping up international cooperation with INTERPOL.”
INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza remarked: “Environmental crime generates hundreds of billions of dollars in illegal profits each year for sophisticated criminal networks. What defeats those networks is sustained cooperation, and for law enforcement that means police sharing intelligence, capacity, and operational support across borders, in real time.
Project GAIA shows what is possible when police-to-police cooperation is properly resourced. Germany’s continued support for this partnership reflects a shared commitment to strengthening international law enforcement's response to environmental crime.”
In the first year, the partner countries involved in the joint GAIA project reported more than 500 investigations and identified 262 criminal entities. Their analytical work and global notices systems identified an additional 503 entities, including trafficking routes, hotspots and criminal modus operandi. Building on the results of the first year, the partner countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa will continue to be supported through operational actions, forensic support, capacity-building and analytics. The Federal Environment Ministry is providing an additional 1.5 million euros to further expand the project.
According to estimates, environmental crime now ranks as the third most profitable criminal industry after drug trafficking and counterfeiting, generating illegal profits in the billions. These revenue streams fund other criminal activities, fuel conflicts and destabilize entire regions. That is why the BMUKN is further stepping up its efforts in this area and systematically expanding its cooperation with INTERPOL.
The BMUKN and INTERPOL have been working together since 2024 as part of the GAIA project. The project strengthens law enforcement agencies in countries particularly affected by this environmental crime, improves sharing of criminal intelligence and supports operational actions to fight environmental crime. WWF is part of the consortium and works to protect environmental defenders and other civil society actors who play a key role in exposing environmental crime.
You can find more information about INTERPOL’s activities to combat environmental crime here: Our response to environmental crime.
Further information on the project can be found at Environmental Crime.
