Andrea Crosta has dedicated his life to protecting wildlife around the globe, assembling an elite team of intelligence professionals to combat a complex ring of illegal smuggling.
The founder and executive director of Earth League International (ELI), a non-governmental fact-finding organization, spoke with conservation news portal Mongabay about the challenges of fighting environmental crimes such as the shark fin trade.
According to Oceana USA, the illegal industry harvests fins from up to 73 million sharks annually, and the demand is a major threat to the survival of multiple species, with scientists estimating that sharks are being killed 30% faster on average than they are able to reproduce.
Crosta told Mongabay that "crime convergence" is one factor that helps his team raise awareness about illegal wildlife trading to governing authorities, who might otherwise overlook environmental injustices while dealing with other intersecting crimes like drug smuggling, money laundering, and human trafficking.
"That's why environmental crime convergence is complex, is a problem, but it's also an opportunity to change the way we fight these crimes," Crosta said.
As ELI notes in a groundbreaking investigative report into shark fin trafficking networks, the fact that more than one-third of sharks are now considered vulnerable or endangered could have significant impacts on marine ecosystems.
The predators aid biodiversity, and reduced numbers of them negatively impact coral reefs — which protect coastal areas from storms, support local economies, provide recreation opportunities, and are even a source for compounds in some cancer medicines.
While donating to environmental organizations is one way for individuals to support conservation efforts, Crosta believes ELI's ability to gather information and collaborate directly addresses an organizational hole that doesn't appear to be a problem for crime networks.
"Crime convergence is not a new concept: If you deal with organized crime or mafia, of course you deal with crime convergence," he told Mongabay. "But in the environmental or wildlife crime field, it's actually not known, it's kind of new, and very few organizations have firsthand information and evidence about it."
However, as ELI explains, this established convergence in organized crime results in crucial opportunities to halt environmentally harmful practices, deterring traffickers from participating in such activities in the future because of harsh penalties associated with other crimes.
"Criminal organizations may be less careful regarding crimes that carry less severe legal penalties, as is often the case with wildlife trafficking, giving investigators openings," ELI wrote. "Given that penalties for drug and arms trafficking are often more severe, holistic cases, ideally with multiple agencies cooperating, can stop wildlife traffickers and environmental criminals."
Crosta told Mongabay that despite the worldwide scope of the problem, he is optimistic that continued efforts to work with the appropriate authorities will bear fruit over time. ELI has already coordinated with U.S. and international law enforcement agencies, such as Homeland Security Investigations and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"I can tell you that [the shark fin report] is getting a lot of traction here in the U.S. within U.S. government agencies and policymakers," he told Mongabay in May. "... That's another example of using this information, not necessarily for law enforcement, but to inform policymakers and people who act in different ways behind the scenes. So that's a really good development."
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