Assessing the partner and media engagement with the international consortium on combating wildlife crime

Wildlife trafficking is a global green crime of growing concern, as is evident by the establishment of several wildlife law enforcement networks, for instance the Association of Southeast Asian Nations - Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN - WEN), and the subject of this chapter: the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC, pronounced ‘i-quick’). This initiative is comprised of Interpol (predominantly its Environmental Crime Programme), the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the World Customs Organisation (WCO), the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the World Bank. Wildlife crime in this case is defined as the exploitation of fauna and flora, in particular the poaching, trafficking, and possession of illegal wildlife (CITES 2011), which is also referred to as wildlife trafficking. From its official launch in November of 2010, ICCWC was intended to: In short, then, ICCWC was designed to support, expand, and enhance ongoing wildlife law enforcement efforts to combat wildlife trafficking. In the middle to long term, ICCWC is well placed to enhance awareness of wildlife crime and make wildlife crime mainstream within national law enforcement agencies. This chapter analyses whether, after two-plus years, ICCWC is managing to work towards these goals. First, the methodology used to gauge ICCWC’s progress towards these aims is detailed.