Ritika Pratap 
[File Photo]
Authorities in Fiji will assess national efforts to combat wildlife crime over the next two days and identify priority actions to strengthen the enforcement of laws.
This will help prohibit the illegal trade of endangered wildlife, marine and timber products, and related crimes in Fiji.
Despite considerable efforts to combat wildlife crime, it remains a growing problem worldwide.
Recent years have seen a spike in the scale of wildlife crime and a change in the nature of this illicit activity, with increased involvement of organized crime groups.
The serious nature of wildlife crime and its diverse economic, social and environmental impacts are increasingly being recognized.
The Rapid Assessment of the Criminal Justice Response to Wildlife and Forest Crime in Fiji, conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in 2022, found that there was limited capacity, resources, specialized investigations, intelligence sharing and poor inter-agency coordination for wildlife and forest crimes.
Critically, the low pecuniary penalties that authorities continue to apply to wildlife and forest crime cases, have little deterrent effect on these crimes.
The Fiji assessment will be conducted at a stakeholder workshop in Suva from tomorrow.
The workshop is organised by the UNODC in collaboration with the Department of Environment, and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the U.S. Department of State.
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