Wildlife illicit trade and corruption Analysis of the linkages Media Workshop Quang Ninh Province (Viet Nam), 18/03/2010

Definition of corrupt behaviour In the United Nations Convention Against Corruption Bribery of national public officials, foreign public officials, officials of public international organizations Embezzlement, misappropriation by public official Abuse of functions and trading in influence Illicit enrichment Bribery in the private sector Laundering of proceeds of crime

Definition of Wildlife Crime Viet Nam Penal Code People who hunt, kill, transport, keep, store, trade protected specie or transport and trade products of protected species At local level Consumers are not always aware that they are committing a crime (traditional medicine, religious believes, cultural traditions, etc.)

One definition of Wildlife Crime Wildlife and forest crime includes the taking, trading (supplying, selling, trafficking), importing, exporting, processing, possessing, obtaining, and consumption of wild flora and fauna in contravention of national or international law Cooper, John E, et al, Wildlife crime scene investigation: techniques, tools and technology (2009) Endangered Species Research 1–9

One example of Wildlife Crime In January 2009, more than 6,000 Kgs of elephant tusks were shipped from Tanzania to reach Malaysia. From Malaysia the tusks were sent to Viet Nam where they were seized by custom officials at Hai Phong Port Probably destined to China or Japan, via Singapore Probably destined to hanko production

One definition of Wildlife Crime Wildlife and forest crime includes the taking, trading (supplying, selling, trafficking), importing, exporting, processing, possessing, obtaining, and consumption of wild flora and fauna in contravention of national or international law

Corruption opportunities Wildlife and forest crime includes the taking, Forest rangers Environmental police and specialized law enforcement Management of parks and protected areas Policy makers establishing quotas, permits, regulations, etc National and foreign businesses holding hunting permits Etc.

Corruption opportunities Wildlife and forest crime includes the taking, trading (supplying, selling, trafficking), importing, exporting, Public officials (customs, revenues, specialized agencies, etc) in ports of entry/exit in Tanzania, Malaysia, Viet Nam, Singapore, China (or Japan) Couriers Shipping companies Etc.

Corruption opportunities Wildlife and forest crime includes the taking, trading (supplying, selling, trafficking), importing, exporting, processing, Micro, small and medium enterprises Law enforcement Etc.

Corruption opportunities Wildlife and forest crime includes the taking, trading (supplying, selling, trafficking), importing, exporting, processing, possessing, obtaining, Wholesale distributors Retailers Private collectors Etc.

Corruption opportunities Wildlife and forest crime includes the taking, trading (supplying, selling, trafficking), importing, exporting, processing, possessing, obtaining, and consumption Retailers Private citizens (including high income citizens) Law enforcement (including prosecution and judiciary in case of interdiction of any of the steps above) Etc.

Why? Wildlife protection is a low priority for law enforcement Risk of detection and punishment is low Complexity of the specimen and existence of a legal trade Low capacity and training for law enforcers High demand, especially in Asia Finite supply – controlled also by ad-hoc quotas/permits High revenues Price of raw ivory in Tanzania: USD 15 per Kg Price of raw ivory in destination countries. USD 850 per Kg Retail value of ivory hankos in Japan: USD 7,000 per Kg

Forms of corruption Bribery Example: A border officer accepting a payment to turn a blind eye on a cargo of protected turtles with no CITES certificate Fraud Example: A border officer requesting a payment to expedite the licit movement of wildlife

Forms of corruption Favouritisms and cronyism Example: Issuing wildlife export permits to companies owned by relatives of influential political individuals Kickbacks Example: Issuing wildlife export permits at higher costs to a private company in return for an illegal payment

Main players Legislative bodies (policy makers, politicians, etc.) Lobbyists (private and public sector) Administrative bodies (regulators for national and local authorities, monitoring authorities, management authorities for protected areas, etc.) Law enforcement agencies (police, specialized agencies, etc.) Border authorities (border police, customs, etc.) Judiciary and prosecution Private sector (shipping companies, retailers, wholesalers, etc.) Individuals (poachers, couriers, buyers, witnesses, communities) Media

Anti-corruption prevention measures SITUATIONAL PREVENTION Corruption prevention in the public sector SOCIAL PREVENTION Social prevention and public empowerment Access to information Public awareness raising and empowerment Media training and investigative journalism Joint government and civil society bodies Public complaints mechanisms Citizens’charters Role of the Media

Critical issues in media-Government relationship Governments’ contacts with the media need to be transparent and should not compromise autonomy of the media Separation of the media ownership from Government or political fractions Media should possess technical, legal, economic expertise to assess anti-corruption efforts Media should make clear distinctions between fictional programmes, and news reports, and editorial commentary Journalists, editors, newspapers owners can stimulate public debate to assess anti corruption policies Self-regulation in investigative journalism to ensure professional and ethical standards

Role of the media to prevent corruption Bring accurate and timely information about public issues to the people Promote the participation of society into governance issues Demonstrate credibility, integrity and capability to provide unbiased coverage of corruption cases Preconditions: The media are free and independent from political influence Governments should not discriminate Media should be able to monitor the integrity of the media Codes of conduct within the media

Role of the media to prevent wildlife crime Bring to the public accurate and timely information about the consequences of wildlife crime Address the misbelieves and misconceptions of the demand side Provide unbiased coverage of corruption cases, including offences by public officials, in cases of wildlife trade Preconditions: The media are free and independent from political influence The media are trained to understand the consequences of wildlife crime

UNODC Regional Centre, Bangkok giovanni.broussard@unodc.org Thank you Giovanni Broussard UNODC Regional Centre, Bangkok giovanni.broussard@unodc.org