Risk & Strategy - Designing a new strategy to counter wildlife crime.

Q: A Kenyan based organization focused on countering wildlife crime has engaged you to design a new strategy aimed at reducing the ability of international criminal syndicates (with links to high level politicians and some elements within local law enforcement) to operate in their country. Some law enforcement experts suggest targeting their financial transactions while others believe the focus should be on stopping the syndicates from recruiting local people to become poachers.

Challenge: Develop a short briefing note outlining your suggested strategy while critically examining the relationship between the risks and the successful implementation of that strategy.

Context of Wildlife Crime Environment (background about wildlife crime)

Wildlife crime is predominantly driven by cross-border international criminal organisations, as well as entities that mix legitimate with illegitimate commercial enterprises, often with direct or indirect support from local politicians and corrupt elements within law enforcement.

In recent years there has been a change in the scale and nature of wildlife crime targeting Elephants, Rhinos, Pangolin and a range of other species, threatening some with extinction. Wildlife crime has become a serious threat to the security, political stability, economy, natural resources and cultural heritage of many countries and regions. Its proceeds fund weapons sales to terrorists and often supplied through the same logistics routes as drugs, people and weapons. The activities of these organised crime groups span across national boundaries and continents, and fraud, counterfeiting, money-laundering, violence and corruption are often closely linked with various forms of wildlife crime. Wildlife trafficking can destroy the natural resources on which national economies and livelihoods depend. It undermines conservation efforts, as well as efforts to eliminate poverty and to develop sustainable economic opportunities for rural communities. Financial crime experts such as Professor Celina Realuyo believe, like terrorism, the best impact is to target the financiers, CFOs and financial transactions. Others believe the focus should be at the local level by stopping the recruitment of poachers.

The international criminal organisations have also started hiring local thugs and corrupt elements of police to threaten and even abduct and kill the staff of the African based NGOs involved in countering wildlife crime. The sector has entered a new level of risk, not seen before.