What to do if you see an eco-crime

Ever seen somebody do really wrong by the environment?  Don't get mad, get even...

Frequent victim... (photo by Ralph Buij)

For the first time, there's a whistle-blower site that's dedicated to eco-crimes, including illegal logging, poaching, and the illicit wildlife trade.  Known as Wildleaks, it's designed to provide a simple and totally secure way to dob in eco-offenders.

A website like this is more than timely: wildlife crimes are burgeoning in many parts of the world.  The illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn alone have had appalling impacts on elephant and rhino populations (see our blogs below), and that's just scratching the surface of the problem.  Organized crime is implicated in many cases.

Interpol and the World Bank, for instance, estimate that illegal logging is costing developing nations around US$30 billion annually, and that's merely lost government revenues.  The price tag approaches US$100 billion if the environmental toll is included too.

So pass along the word to friends and colleagues about Wildleaks.  Wildlife crimes flourish in the shadows but falter where the light shines...