Sunday Read: Whistleblowers Play an Essential Role in Thwarting Wildlife Crime

This overview of whistleblowers’ role in combating wildlife crime was sent as part of NWC’s Sunday Reading series that aims to educate supporters about specific whistleblower legislative or policy initiatives. For more information like this, please join our mailing list.

Wildlife trafficking is among the most pressing conservation issues of our time. Illegal wildlife trade is a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise that has imperiled critical habitats and has driven endangered species to the brink of extinction. With climate change already having a devastating impact on global wildlife populations, it is essential that governments place a greater emphasis on stemming transnational wildlife crime. Whistleblowers can be the key to successfully finding and putting an end to these terrible crimes against animals.

Online marketplaces have become the primary mechanism for facilitating the sale of various animal species. This week, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and NWC joined together to host a virtual Q&A session discussing issues such as how to spot illegal wildlife trafficking and what actions can be taken to end this harmful practice.

The Q&A discussion comes after IFAW recently released its alarming report, Digital Markets: Wildlife Trafficking Hidden in Plain Sight, which offers a sobering assessment of the scale of the online trade in animals and animal products. IFAW conducted a six-week investigation of 34 online marketplaces, such as eBay, Etsy, Ruby Lane, and Offer Up. It found nearly 1,200 advertisements for almost 2,400 animals, parts, derivatives, or products of protected species, in which the most common types of advertisements were for elephant ivory, taxidermy and trophies, and live animals sold as exotic pets. The scale of the ivory trade is especially troubling given the recent global effort to end the practice and illustrates the extent to which savvy online traffickers can circumvent the various restrictions. In its report, IFAW also found that stronger international whistleblower laws are needed to incentivize the reporting of wildlife crimes by private citizens.

Here are the main takeaways:

Social media platforms in particular have allowed online wildlife trafficking to flourish. As the Executive Director of the Alliance to Counter Crime Online, Gretchen Peters, recently testified before the House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, “[t]he world’s largest markets for wildlife crime are right inside your smartphones. The biggest social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and WeChat have become ground zero for wildlife crime syndicates to connect with buyers, market their illegal goods, and move money.”

IFAW’s Campaigns Officer, Mark Hofberg described the responsibility big tech has and the role whistleblowers can play to stop wildlife trafficking only during the Q&A with NWC:

Stopping wildlife crime is critical not only to saving endangered species, but also to protecting the livelihoods of communities that depend on wildlife and other natural resources for their survival, mitigating the spread of zoonotic diseases, and thwarting government corruption.

Fortunately, whistleblowers can play an essential role in exposing instances of wildlife trafficking and bringing perpetrators to justice. There are several federal wildlife protection laws containing whistleblower provisions allowing individuals to report various forms of wildlife crime, and more are needed. A number of these statutes even provide monetary rewards to whistleblowers whose information results in a successful enforcement action. The Lacey Act, originally passed in 1900, is the principal law enforcement mechanism for stopping wildlife trafficking, making it unlawful “for any person to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce” any fish, wildlife, or plant “taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of any law or regulation of any State or in violation of any foreign law.” This act is the bedrock for wildlife protections in the United States and needed the support of whistleblower disclosures to be more effective.

Congress amended the Lacey Act in 1981 to provide for whistleblower rewards — monetary payments to informants whose testimony results in a successful prosecution. Yet, despite this powerful financial incentive, wildlife trafficking whistleblower provisions have been severely underutilized. This is largely attributable to the fact that the wildlife whistleblower regime lacks a number of provisions contained in other successful whistleblower laws such as the False Claims Act and Dodd-Frank Act — provisions such as judicial review, anti-retaliation protections, guaranteed minimum awards, and a central whistleblower office to process claims.

NWC’s discussion with IFAW reinforced the need for Dodd-Frank Act style wildlife whistleblower protections:

For this reason, NWC launched the Global Wildlife Whistleblower Program, which is intended to educate whistleblowers and antitrafficking organizations worldwide about wildlife whistleblower laws and provides resources for those seeking to report wildlife crime. NWC also continues to advocate for stronger wildlife whistleblower laws, including urging the reintroduction and enactment of H.R. 864, the Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act. If implemented, this groundbreaking legislation would enhance the ability of law enforcement, whistleblowers, and company insiders around the world to detect and report wildlife crimes.

The sheer scale of the global wildlife trafficking industry, and the severe threat it poses to endangered species, demonstrates that the problem cannot be solved by law enforcement alone. Wildlife crimes are incredibly difficult to detect, and whistleblowers with first-hand knowledge are an invaluable tool in combating wildlife crime. NWC is committed to ensuring they have the resources they need to help put an end to this inhumane practice.

Sign the Wildlife Whistleblower Pledge today and join our advocacy efforts to help support wildlife whistleblowers who fight to put an end to wildlife trafficking and other wildlife related violations.