The article details information regarding the illegal trafficking of wildlife and natural resources internationally, and what the E.N.R.D. and other organizations have been been doing to help resolve these issues. Wildlife traffickers are being prosecuted as a first hand method in order to bring a stop to the practice. There are also operations in place such as “Operation Crash” and “Operation Totoaba Drama” to detect and deter such criminals and bring them to justice. As a global problem, a global solution must be met.
Key Takeaways:
- ENRD spearheads the Department of Justice’s work on combating wildlife trafficking.
- We prosecute wildlife traffickers under statutes that focus explicitly on wildlife protection—like the Lacey Act, the Nation’s oldest wildlife protection law and the Endangered Species Act—as well as under more general criminal statutes that prohibit conspiracy, smuggling and money laundering.
- Increased international cooperation and collaboration are critical. We need to build their capacity to craft strong laws, strengthen their investigative and evidence-gathering capabilities and improve their judicial and prosecutorial effectiveness.
“I am proud of the Administration’s deep commitment to combating wildlife trafficking and excited by what has been accomplished thus far through the whole-of-government approach that has heightened attention to this critical issue.”
