Introduction - Wildlife Justice Commission
The last decade has seen an unprecedented rise in the poaching and trafficking of endangered and iconic wildlife species. The very survival of species such as rhinos, elephants and tigers as well as countless less iconic species is at stake. From 2007 to 2014 rhino poaching in South Africa has increased by almost 10,000% (in 2007 there were 13 recorded instances of rhino poaching compared to 1,215 in 2014). In the first four months of 2015 incidences of poaching have increased by 18% compared to 2014 (IUCN Species Survival Commission, African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups & TRAFFIC, 2016). If we do nothing, wild rhinos will cease to exist during the course of this decade. At the moment, trafficking …show more content…
However, this is where past and current efforts fall short as in many parts of the world criminal justice systems are insufficiently willing and able to deal with transnational, organised wildlife crime. The reasons for this are many, including lack of capacity and resources, lack of political will, ineffective governance, corruption, and the transnational character of the crime.
The result: widespread inaction despite the fact that generally, the necessary laws and treaties required to take enforcement actions are in place.
In early 2015, the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) was set up by Netherlands Wereld Natuur Fonds (WNF) part of an international campaign started by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to tackle the wildlife crimes occurring worldwide. The aim for the creation of WJC was to act as a justice activation mechanism to highlight cases of wildlife trafficking. The key goal of this process is to disrupt and dismantle organised criminal networks illegally trafficking in wildlife and wildlife products.
Usually, the Wildlife Justice Commission takes three routes to reach its goal of activating …show more content…
Public Hearing - If the National Dialogue is unsuccessful and insufficient action is taken, the WJC has the option to convene a Public Hearing. Evidence from the investigation is presented for confirmation to a Designated Independent Review Panel consisting of five independent experts. At the end of the Public Hearing, the Panel decides whether or not to confirm the fair and objective nature of the evidence presented and can offer recommendations to the national authorities and others.
The Evolution of Wildlife Justice Commission
The initial model called for the WJC to receive investigations/ intelligence from other NGO’s and undertake minimal follow up enquires to seek justice activation though stakeholder engagement and, if necessary hold a public hearing into the case. The concept of the WJC was co-drafted by nature conservation and international justice experts.
In the beginning of WJC, WNF hired the well-known agency Edelman to shape the image of the WJC. Back in the days, they agreed on the following mission for the organisation:
‘The mission of the Wildlife Justice Commission is to reduce poaching and trafficking of threatened species by activating justice for wildlife crime in key countries and holding governments accountable’ (WNF, 2014, pg.
The last decade has seen an unprecedented rise in the poaching and trafficking of endangered and iconic wildlife species. The very survival of species such as rhinos, elephants and tigers as well as countless less iconic species is at stake. From 2007 to 2014 rhino poaching in South Africa has increased by almost 10,000% (in 2007 there were 13 recorded instances of rhino poaching compared to 1,215 in 2014). In the first four months of 2015 incidences of poaching have increased by 18% compared to 2014 (IUCN Species Survival Commission, African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups & TRAFFIC, 2016). If we do nothing, wild rhinos will cease to exist during the course of this decade. At the moment, trafficking …show more content…
However, this is where past and current efforts fall short as in many parts of the world criminal justice systems are insufficiently willing and able to deal with transnational, organised wildlife crime. The reasons for this are many, including lack of capacity and resources, lack of political will, ineffective governance, corruption, and the transnational character of the crime.
The result: widespread inaction despite the fact that generally, the necessary laws and treaties required to take enforcement actions are in place.
In early 2015, the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) was set up by Netherlands Wereld Natuur Fonds (WNF) part of an international campaign started by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to tackle the wildlife crimes occurring worldwide. The aim for the creation of WJC was to act as a justice activation mechanism to highlight cases of wildlife trafficking. The key goal of this process is to disrupt and dismantle organised criminal networks illegally trafficking in wildlife and wildlife products.
Usually, the Wildlife Justice Commission takes three routes to reach its goal of activating …show more content…
Public Hearing - If the National Dialogue is unsuccessful and insufficient action is taken, the WJC has the option to convene a Public Hearing. Evidence from the investigation is presented for confirmation to a Designated Independent Review Panel consisting of five independent experts. At the end of the Public Hearing, the Panel decides whether or not to confirm the fair and objective nature of the evidence presented and can offer recommendations to the national authorities and others.
The Evolution of Wildlife Justice Commission
The initial model called for the WJC to receive investigations/ intelligence from other NGO’s and undertake minimal follow up enquires to seek justice activation though stakeholder engagement and, if necessary hold a public hearing into the case. The concept of the WJC was co-drafted by nature conservation and international justice experts.
In the beginning of WJC, WNF hired the well-known agency Edelman to shape the image of the WJC. Back in the days, they agreed on the following mission for the organisation:
‘The mission of the Wildlife Justice Commission is to reduce poaching and trafficking of threatened species by activating justice for wildlife crime in key countries and holding governments accountable’ (WNF, 2014, pg.