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The Wildlife Working Group exists to help conserve, preserve and protect the ever-deteriorating and fragile ecosystem. The group’s main aim is to co-ordinate the sharing of information on an international scale to optimise the global effort to combat crimes related to wildlife and plants. Another aim is to facilitate and co-ordinate operational enforcement activity.

Through Interpol, the Wildlife Working Group aims to be the world’s pre-eminent organization in support of CITES-listed members, with the mission of detecting, preventing and reporting international wildlife crimes.

Activities

The Wildlife Working Group’s main activities include:

• maintaining an international network within Interpol for the exchange of information on wildlife crime;
• enhancing domestic operations in each country through co-operation and co-ordination;
• assisting in the training of wildlife enforcement officers in developing countries;
• encouraging the integration of wildlife enforcement activities within broader international wildlife conservation initiatives; and
• improving international communication with member countries by co-ordinating and leading international meetings with regional representatives.

Objectives

To facilitate the sharing of information between CITES members on a global scale in a timely and legal manner for the sole purpose of environmental law enforcement, the Wildlife Working Group works to:

• encourage international participation in a registry of global enforcement contacts of individuals possessing expertise in wildlife crime and enforcement;
• encourage partnerships to facilitate the delivery of international wildlife enforcement initiatives;
• initiate and support joint training and capacity-building initiatives;
• co-ordinate and engender a common understanding and philosophy for a worldwide approach to international wildlife enforcement;
• establish a global database on criminal activity; and
• assist member countries in identifying wildlife enforcement priorities and objectives.