LYON, France – INTERPOL hosted the 5th International Conference on Environmental Crime with the aim of enhancing international efforts to fight environmental crimes, thought to be one of the world’s fastest growing crime areas.

More than 100 senior law enforcement officials and experts from 46 countries met at the General Secretariat in Lyon to discuss a variety of issues, including links between environmental crimes and organized crime and bio-terrorism, investigative techniques, regional and global trends, and capacity-building among international organizations.

'We expect everyone to walk away from this conference with a better understanding of the seriousness of environmental crimes and the absolute necessity of more global co-operation to fight it,' said Mark Measer, INTERPOL specialised officer and conference co-ordinator.

INTERPOL will appoint its first-ever officer specialised in wildlife crimes following a donation of US$300,000 (spread over three years) from the Bosack and Kruger Foundation, Safari Club International and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

The illegal dumping of industrial waste, illegal use and trafficking of pesticides and poaching of endangered animals were also highlighted as activities which are seen as increasingly lucrative and relatively easy to carry out by organized crime groups.

Outcomes of the conference are expected to be the development of training materials to enhance the capability of law enforcement to fight these types of crimes and the analysis of enforcement data for targeting future efforts.

A number of important wildlife crime prevention initiatives were announced during the conference, including:

• A donation by INTERPOL of US$85,000 to help the Tanzanian national park service purchase patrol planes and equipment. Governmental wildlife agencies and non-governmental organizations in other countries including the United States, Israel, Canada and Kenya will also contribute substantial funding or in-kind assistance to the project.

• The Kenyan Wildlife Service was singled out for a best practice award, particularly for its use of the Eco-Message system created by the INTERPOL General Secretariat, which provides a standardised form to facilitate the exchange and analysis of information on wildlife crimes among member countries. The award, the equivalent of US$30,000 in equipment and training, is aimed at encouraging member countries to share more information with the General Secretariat about important seizures of rare, endangered or illegally traded plants and animals, said Pascal Tagni, INTERPOL regional specialised officer for Africa and conference co-ordinator.

Participants of the 5th International Conference on Environmental Crime.