Environmental crime emerges from the shadows to become major international diplomatic priority

Environmental crime is rapidly transforming from a specialized concern handled by park rangers and conservation lawyers into a central focus of international diplomacy. From Vienna to Belém, what was once a technical discussion about illegal activities harming nature is now reshaping global enforcement strategies and diplomatic priorities.

The scope of environmental crime extends far beyond traditional poaching or illegal logging. Today’s criminal networks engage in massive operations including illegal land grabbing, illicit mining, wildlife trafficking, toxic waste dumping, fraudulent carbon offset projects, and illegal sand extraction. These operations generate hundreds of billions—possibly trillions—of dollars annually, operating at industrial scale through complex global supply chains and financial networks.

What makes environmental crime particularly dangerous is its deep connections to other serious criminal activities. These operations often intertwine with drug trafficking, corruption, extortion, and money laundering, frequently enforced through violence against Indigenous communities, environmental defenders, and journalists. From the Amazon rainforest to the Congo Basin and Southeast Asia, these crimes threaten both ecosystems and human lives.

Despite strengthened laws and enforcement efforts over the past decade, environmental crime continues expanding rather than shrinking. The reasons are straightforward: enormous profits with relatively low risks of prosecution. This troubling trend has pushed environmental crime from the periphery into mainstream diplomatic discussions, as governments recognize that protecting the environment requires treating these activities as the serious international security threats they have become.