convergence

Fighting Networks with Networks
Combating Wildlife Trafficking and Dismantling Transnational Illicit Networks
The discussion on environmental crimes that took center stage at the Trans-Pacific Symposium in
Phuket has continued, focusing on specific threats on a regional and transregional basis. In April
2012, the United States partnered with the government of Gabon to host a Sub-Regional Workshop
for Central Africa on Wildlife Trafficking and Dismantling Transnational Illicit Networks,
in Libreville, Gabon, to address growing concerns about the threats posed to communities, ecosystems,
institutions, and markets by poaching and trafficking in protected and endangered wildlife.
Today, 30 percent of the species hunted in the Congo Basin are threatened. Heavily armed
poachers operating in central Africa—who have attacked law enforcement and military personnel—have
become a threat to the national security of Central African countries. Furthermore,
poaching and wildlife trafficking are largely intertwined with other criminal activities of transnational
illicit networks that contribute to the insecurity and instability of economies globally
and hinder sustainable development strategies including efforts to preserve national resources
and the promotion of ecotourism as a source of revenue for governments and communities.
Approximately 150 Central African government officials, law enforcement personnel,
and members of nongovernmental and international conservation organizations from Central
African and Asian countries including China worked together during the 3-day workshop
in Libreville to share ideas and best practices for antipoaching. The workshop facilitated the
exchange of information and shared best practices to foster and develop innovative responses
to stem the poaching and cross-border trafficking of endangered and protected wildlife by
involving agencies throughout governments. In addition, participants discussed ways to protect
biodiversity through leveraging partnerships with other countries and nongovernmental and
international organizations from other regions to dismantle illicit networks. At the end of the
workshop, participants committed to establishing a wildlife enforcement network to intensify
and coordinate antipoaching efforts in Central Africa. The Gabon workshop provided key
momentum within the international community on combating wildlife trafficking and related
corruption and cross-border crime.
Other Global Partnerships and Multilateral Cooperation
By building cooperative platforms and networks incrementally, the United States continues to
promote smart power diplomacy to generate greater collective action, joint cases, and strategic
approaches with international partners to combat transnational criminal threats. Washington
is also working multilaterally and bilaterally with committed international partners to combat
the growing wave of crime and other illicit threats and to employ diplomatic tools and technical
assistance to disrupt and dismantle transnational threat networks, including helping to
strengthen law enforcement, judicial, legal, and security institutions.
G-8. In recent years, the Group of Eight (G-8) has played a leading international role in
articulating the harms and destabilizing factors posed by transnational threats—terrorism,
organized crime, nuclear proliferation, and corruption—and how they contributed to domestic
and international destabilization and challenges to global security, required greater synergies and
ideas for the G-8 and international community to enhance the security toolbox to preempt and
counter transnational threats, and encouraged stronger joint intergovernmental coordination
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