An Alarming Trend in Eco-Crimes

Environmental crime is rising at an alarming rate: Wildlife poaching, smuggling, illegal logging, minerals thefts, toxic waste dumping and other felonies together now make up the fourth largest illicit enterprise in the world. And yet, for the time being, we fail to even appropriately recognize the severity of the issue…yet another example of our myopia in considering the effects of our actions. Bad news at a time when environmental crises threaten our planet and its diversity of species more than ever.

Celebrity and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme, Gisele Bundchen writes: “Environmental awareness is growing all over the world. But so is wildlife crime, and the struggle between those forces seeking to preserve Earth’s rich biodiversity and those trying to turn it into illicit profits is just getting started.”