Countering Nature Crime: A Convergent Response to Crimes that Harm Nature and People. A partnership that mobilizes action by communities, civil society organizations, governments, and key industries to combat nature crime – including illegal harvest and trade of fish, timber and wildlife, as well as illegal deforestation to produce commodities – and associated violations of laws and rights. Illegal fishing, illegal wildlife trade and harvesting, illegal logging and illegal deforestation to produce commodities are all considered nature crimes. These pose major threats around the world. Nature crimes threaten biodiversity, accelerate climate change, violate human rights and increase the risk of pandemics. They also undermine rule of law and security and deter investment and economic growth in many sectors. These crimes are not a discrete issue. They intersect with each other and with crimes such as narcotics and arms trade and human rights and labor abuses. This convergence among crimes demands a convergent approach to analysis and interventions – a priority for this activity. WRI, together with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and other leaders in the field, aims to strengthen the knowledge, capacity and resolve needed to address nature crimes. This includes crimes threatening the health of fish stocks, wildlife and forests, and the billions of people who depend on them for legal, sustainable livelihoods.  
Countering Nature Crime engages diverse stakeholders to prevent and respond to these crimes. Partners range from law enforcement agencies to industry associations and specifically engage Indigenous and local communities standing up for their land and natural resources rights, and their allies in civil society and the press. The Countering Nature Crime (CNC) initiative is a five-year, $25 million partnership funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The partnership’s goals are to.....read on     https://www.wri.org/initiatives/countering-nature-crime