The text of the following joint statement was released in Vancouver, Canada by founding participants of the Nature Crime Alliance, including the governments of Gabon, the Kingdom of Norway, the United States of America; the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); the Global Environment Facility (GEF); Indigenous Peoples Rights International; Amazon Conservation Association; Earth League International; Environmental Investigation Agency US; Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI); Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime; Indigenous Peoples Rights International; Instituto Igarape; Mongabay; Rainforest Foundation UK; Sustainable Fisheries Partnership; TRAFFIC; Wildlife Conservation Society; Wildlife Justice Commission; World Forest ID.
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Today, we are joining together to form the Nature Crime Alliance- a new, multi-sector approach to fighting criminal forms of logging, mining, wildlife trade, land conversion, crimes associated with fishing, and the illegal activities with which they converge.
Nature crime constitutes one of the largest illicit economies in the world, inflicting devastation and destruction upon people and planet. We recognize that these crimes cannot be eradicated without multi-sector cooperation, and that there is a pressing need for greater coordination and collaboration among the diverse actors fighting nature crime. A new approach is needed.
We have formed the Alliance in recognition of this need, with members including representatives from governments, law enforcement, international organizations, civil society organizations, front line defenders including Indigenous Peoples and local communities, donors, and the private sector.
We will work together, through the Alliance, to raise political will, mobilize financial commitment, and strengthen operational capacity to fight nature crime. Through a range of initiatives - from solutions-focused working groups convening representatives across different sectors, to structured communications channels that enable open dialogue and the sharing of best practice - the Alliance is building a new, international, collaborative response to nature crime.
This is the first time that such a multi-sector approach to this global challenge has been developed on this scale, with the Alliance marking a key moment in the fight against nature crime. We encourage governments and organizations that share our determination to end environmental injustice and protect people and planet to join us in the Nature Crime Alliance.
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