INTERPOL - World Model United Nations

harsher punishment could have on wildlife crime. To that
end, INTERPOL should train domestic LEOs in detection
and reporting systems using advanced technology, public
vigilance, and education campaigns.
Internet and communication technology is being used
increasingly by criminal organizations in the practice
of wildlife crime. Not only do eorts to combat wildlife
crime need to incorporate this factor, they must also use
technology in positive eorts to facilitate legal trade and
help consumers stay within the law. 55 is involves not only
utilizing and training on new technologies, but also making
use of social media to involve the public in eorts to reduce
wildlife crime. Signicant amounts of investment in local
LEOs to maintain the technical capacity are necessary
to undergo successful enforcement of this issue on an
international scale.
It is vital to form better relationships between wildlife
activists, public informers, and local forest departments.
With a quicker and more integrated intelligence network
built in, people with passion about the issue would have
a greater chance to feel involved beyond volunteering in
a monitoring capacity. Similarly, relationships need to
be established among nations in the same region, as this
cooperation is crucial in combating trans-border criminal
wildlife syndicates active in more than one country.
Creative/Alternative Solutions
In June 2011, the Center for International Forestry
Research (CIFOR) and the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) convened in Nairobi, Kenya to discuss
regulation of the bushmeat trade in Africa and alternatives
to bushmeat use. 56 One simple solution discussed was the
involvement of local communities in revenue-generating
wildlife management and conservation practices, such
as tourism. e convention also discussed sustainable
harvesting of non-forest products, through practices such as
beekeeping. In addition, “mini-livestock” such as cane rats
could be farmed for food and income—a practice already
observed in much of Africa. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive
Secretary of the CBD enthusiastically praised the solution:
“We see legitimate subsistence hunting being replaced
by commercial hunting and trade of oen endangered
species in tropical forests, including elephants and
primates.” 57
Professional lecturer and conservationist Charles Bergman
oers a dierent perspective on the paradoxical systems of
legal and illegal trade in exotic wildlife. Using the parrots
of South America as an example, Bergman demonstrated
to several public audiences that meaningful enforcement of
laws against illegal trade is stymied by “loopholes” allowing
subsistence use of exotic wildlife by indigenous populations.
According to the environmentalist, “Stop the legal trade and
the illegal trade will stop.” 58 ough such a denitive stance
may not be warranted, the intersection between legal and
illegal wildlife trade is worth exploring as a committee when
discussing potential solutions.
QUESTIONS A RESOLUTION MUST ANSWER
!" How should INTERPOL’s capacity to deal with
Wildlife Crime be changed to reect its growing
prominence and connection to other organized
syndicate crimes?
!" What can be done to better promulgate and share
information and resources between organizations at
all levels of power and prominence?
!" Why have enforcement eorts been largely failing
in various areas, and what can INTERPOL do to
localize enforcement eorts?
!" Have past public campaigns against wildlife crime
been successful? If not, how can they be improved
to stem the consumer/demand end of wildlife
tracking?
!" How can technology be integrated into the
understanding and addressing of wildlife crime
issues?
!" What is the appropriate punishment for arrested
wildlife criminals, taking into account the value
of deterrence when dealing with natural, limited
resources? Is it appropriate for INTERPOL to assign
a punishment or even a punishment range for such
crimes?
KEY ACTORS
Position & History Of Various Actors
CITES was established in the 1960s when the discussion
of illicit wildlife trade was relatively new. It was
conceived in the spirit of cooperation to safeguard certain
endangered plant and animal species from exploitation.
e 1963 World Conservation Union draed CITES
into being. With 175 voluntarily participating members,
it is the largest international conservation agreement.
CITES works by subjecting international trade in certain
specimen to authorization through a licensing system.
Each member party appoints a Management Authority and
Scientic Authority to administer the system and provide
Harvard WorldMUN 2012 INTERPOL 14