Negotiations to open on first global protocol against environmental crime

· Climate

Countries have taken a first step toward a global crackdown on environmental crime, with negotiations set to begin on the world's first international protocol covering wildlife trafficking, illegal deforestation and illicit waste smuggling. The protocol is to be drafted over the next two years, with the aim of making it easier to investigate, prosecute and adjudicate these offenses across borders.

Why it matters：A binding protocol would give enforcement agencies shared legal tools, shifting environmental crime from a patchwork of national rules toward international cooperation.

Key points

  • Scope covers wildlife trafficking, illegal deforestation and waste smuggling.
  • Drafting is planned over a two-year period.
  • Aim is to ease investigation, prosecution and adjudication.

Sources (original reporting)

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