Justice for Wildlife
Wildlife trafficking in Latin America is a significant threat to the region's biodiversity, economy, and social stability. The illegal trade, driven by high demand for wildlife and timber products, is a multi-billion-dollar industry managed by sophisticated criminal networks. To effectively combat this crisis, it is essential to strengthen judicial capacity, ensuring that laws are enforced, offenders are prosecuted, and wildlife crimes are met with appropriate consequences.
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THREAT TO
BIODIVERSITY
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ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES
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NEED OF COORDINATED
ACTION
The Wildlife Justice Initiative will enhance the enforcement of wildlife crime laws and improve the investigation and prosecution of wildlife crimes in Honduras, Colombia, Guyana, and the Dominican Republic. This initiative addresses the complex challenges faced by these countries by strategically focusing on boosting prosecutorial and judicial capacity.
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Key Goals:
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Enhancing Judicial and Prosecutorial Capacity: The initiative provides targeted assistance to criminal justice actors in Honduras, equipping them with the skills, tools, and methods needed to effectively confront and dismantle organized wildlife crime networks.
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Facilitating Cross-Border Collaboration: Through virtual and in-person workshops, the Wildlife Justice Initiative fosters regional cooperation. The Wildlife Justice Forum will bring together counterparts from Honduras, Colombia, Guyana, and the Dominican Republic to share knowledge and develop a cadre of experts dedicated to countering wildlife crime.
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The project will be implemented over 24 months, focusing on expanding capacity and promoting robust cross-border cooperation. The initiative aims to equip criminal justice sector actors with the expertise necessary to reduce impunity for wildlife crimes, ensuring timely enforcement and prosecution across the region.
More information
Strengthening Legal Frameworks
Review and amendment of existing wildlife crime legislation. This involves closing legal gaps and ensuring that penalties are commensurate with the scale and severity of the offenses.
Specialized Training and Resources
Specialized training for prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement officials should cover the specifics of wildlife crime legislation, advanced investigative techniques, and the unique challenges associated with prosecuting these crimes. Topics such as evidence collection, intelligence gathering, and the use of forensic methods tailored to wildlife cases are essential components.
Collaboration and Information Sharing
Enhancing communication channels and developing shared databases can improve the exchange of intelligence and best practices, facilitating the identification, tracking, and dismantling of criminal networks operating across borders.
Harmonizing Regional Cooperation
Transnational wildlife crime legislation across Latin American countries can streamline prosecution processes, facilitate the extradition of traffickers, and create a unified front against these criminal networks. Developing cross-border agreements and implementing joint operations can further enhance the effectiveness of efforts to combat wildlife trafficking, ensuring that legal and enforcement measures are consistent and mutually reinforcing across the region.