[ad_1]
The proliferation of organised wildlife crime syndicates, the limitations of wildlife protection, prosecution and sentencing, and inappropriate sentencing are just some of the challenges facing Namibian authorities in relation to wildlife crime.
According to the Namibia National Report on Wildlife Conservation 2023, there appears to be an increase in organized criminal activities in various areas involving Namibia’s natural resources.
The report said that in 2023, police investigated complex syndicate operations related to rhino poaching, live plant trafficking, illegal timber logging and trophy shooting.
“Some clustering of crime was also found between different sectors,” the report found.
The report says rhino poaching and horn trafficking clearly involves complex criminal networks within Namibia, as well as international trafficking routes and nodes supported by transnational groups.
“A far-reaching network of transnational syndicates has also been identified in the area of live plant trafficking, seeking to supply the global ornamental plant trade. Illegal logging of Namibia’s timber resources is carried out both through transnational collusion and through coordinated criminal activity between Namibian actors.”
Network Challenges
The report said that in the investigation of trophy hunting-related violations, more localized and organized operations were found.
Investigations into organized crime exploiting Namibia’s natural resources are aimed at dismantling entire criminal networks rather than simply arresting individual suspects.
Extensive surveillance and the use of all available technologies are essential to facilitate the detection of criminal activity, the collection of evidence, and the arrests and prosecutions.
The report notes that using the Prevention of Organized Crime Amendment Act to charge criminal gangs, racketeering activities and money laundering is crucial to obtaining convictions and imposing appropriate sentences.
However, Namibia’s vast, sparsely populated wilderness areas and the valuable biodiversity they support make it very difficult to protect resources targeted by criminals.
“The country is simply too large and many places are inaccessible to physically protect all resources at all times.”
Ongoing threats
Fluctuations in poaching losses suggest that current conservation and deterrence gains are often short-lived, the report said.
The resurgence of pangolin and rhino poaching in 2023, the expansion of plant poaching, and the suspected presence of other problematic industries such as live reptile trafficking, indicate that the threat of wildlife crime remains unabated.
As a result, the report found that wildlife protection and crime prevention initiatives are improving but remain a huge challenge.
The report highlights that tailored conservation measures are increasingly necessary for specific industries and vulnerable species, while broader responses and new approaches are needed to change current criminal dynamics and motivations.
Additionally, the court backlog of wildlife cases continues to grow.
In 2023, only 96 cases were closed, the lowest number since 2018.
To address this problem, a series of special courts dedicated to hearing wildlife crime cases have been set up in various key locations since April 2022.
[ad_2]
Source link
