FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
The Wildlife Justice Commission is an independent, non–governmental organisation with a mission to disrupt and dismantle the transnational criminal networks trafficking wildlife, timber, and fish. By collecting evidence and turning it into accountability, we ensure that organised crime is not driving species to extinction. That means closing the gap between crime and consequence, disrupting the networks, identifying the perpetrators, and ensuring they are held responsible in court. This is how we protect endangered species and create lasting deterrence. We combat trafficking through intelligence analysis, undercover investigations, and helping law enforcement secure arrests and convictions. Additionally, we strengthen the capabilities of prosecutors and judges to effectively tackle wildlife crime. Beyond enforcement, we share our expertise to influence policy at the global and multilateral levels, helping to build political will and elevate the importance of fighting wildlife crime.
Wildlife Justice was founded in The Hague in 2015, during the height of the African poaching crisis. At the time, elephants, rhinos, and pangolins were on the brink of extinction. Criminal networks were operating across borders with impunity. Law enforcement efforts were under-resourced and largely focused on low-level poachers, leaving the high-level organisers untouched and free to profit. Recognising this critical gap, Peace Parks and WWF Netherlands, as part of the Dutch Postcode Lottery Dream Fund, brought together a group of experts to create a bold new response. The Wildlife Justice Commission was established to bring the full force of criminal law to bear on wildlife trafficking, treating it with the same seriousness as other forms of transnational organised crime.
Wildlife Justice addresses wildlife crime from a criminal law perspective, rather than a conservation one. Our focus is not on individual poaching incidents, but on the high-level criminals who organise, finance, and profit from the trafficking of wildlife, fish, and timber. We apply to wildlife crime the same tools and techniques used to combat other serious transnational crimes—treating it as a serious organised criminal enterprise. Our intelligence-led model allows us to act with speed and agility: we can deploy investigative teams in under 24 hours, infiltrate trafficking networks, gather intelligence, and respond dynamically to emerging threats. Our model leads to arrests, convictions, and systemic change, while also informing high-level policymaking and building long-term enforcement capacity.
Wildlife Justice is a lean but highly effective organisation, with a professional team of 117 field and office staff. We operate across six continents, and our strength lies in the diversity of our people—our staff come from 30 countries, and we draw on this range of nationalities, cultures, ethnicities, and languages to support our global mission. This diversity not only reflects our values but also enhances our operational impact by enabling us to work effectively in complex environments around the world.
Wildlife Justice operates globally, with a presence in the Netherlands, the United States, and Thailand, and with investigations in Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. We support law enforcement across the globe in their investigations, and our policy and building capabilities work also spans the globe.
Wildlife Justice will continue to combat wildlife crime until vulnerable species are not being driven to extinction by organised crime.
We target the trafficking of wildlife, timber, and fish, focusing on high-level offenders and organised crime networks. We decide which cases to go after based on two elements: the most vulnerable species, meaning they are either on the brink of extinction or massively trafficked and law enforcement has not been able to effectively protect them; and the most harmful offenders.
For Wildlife Justice, success is measured by structural disruption — not just individual arrests, but the disruption of entire trafficking networks, the seizure of criminal assets, and long-term deterrence across the supply chain. We assess our impact through several key indicators: the collapse or weakening of criminal networks, including the flight or fragmentation of leadership; sustained drops in trafficking activity, such as the sharp decline in multi-tonne pangolin shipments from Nigeria; legal and institutional change, such as strengthening national legislation, increasing prosecutorial capacity, and creating dedicated enforcement units; convictions that hold up in court, built on robust evidence and international cooperation. Success means not just catching criminals, but protecting species and strengthening the systems meant to defend them.
Wildlife Justice works as a real-time service provider to law enforcement agencies worldwide. We share intelligence, deliver operational and analytical support, and offer tailored training and mentoring to build long-term capacity. By working directly alongside law enforcement in trafficking hot spots, we help drive effective investigations and prosecutions. Our model focuses on delivering tangible results—demonstrating the value of enforcing anti-trafficking laws and strengthening local capabilities. These trusted partnerships allow us to leave behind lasting enforcement capacity as we move on to support the next critical location.
No, we collaborate with NGOs, IGOs, governments, industry actors, academics, investigative journalists, and private individuals—adding another layer to the global fight against wildlife crime. Given the complexity and volatility of wildlife crime, no single approach can solve it. Partnerships are central to our mission. Operationally, we collaborate primarily with law enforcement agencies to ensure our work aligns with legal frameworks and drives real enforcement outcomes. In our policy work, we engage with a broad network of organisations and alliances to tackle the systemic drivers of wildlife crime. As founders and active members of global coalitions, we help amplify collective impact and ensure a comprehensive response to this transnational threat.
Our mission targets organised crime, not environmental restoration. By dismantling criminal networks, we reduce the killing and trafficking of species, creating a lasting deterrent that complements conservation and habitat protection initiatives. Our work targets the financiers, shippers, and brokers who bankroll and enable wildlife trafficking networks. By disrupting the financial and logistical structures that fund poaching at the park level, Wildlife Justice helps take the pressure off protected areas and gives endangered species that depend on those critical habitats a chance to survive.
Wildlife Justice strengthens the ability of governments and law enforcement agencies to tackle wildlife crime independently through tailored training, mentoring, equipment provision, and system enhancements. By building skills, improving tools, and embedding effective practices, we ensure that enforcement agencies are equipped to target and disrupt wildlife crime operations effectively. This approach helps create sustainable, long-term impact by empowering partners to continue the fight against wildlife crime well beyond our direct involvement.
Inspired by the International Criminal Court, our accountability model uses detailed, legally admissible Case Files to document criminal networks and their illicit activities. These files are independently reviewed and validated before being shared with national authorities to support prosecutions—contributing to a 100% conviction rate in cases we’ve helped build. We initiate a dialogue process with the relevant governments to encourage enforcement action, but if no meaningful steps are taken, we can convene a Public Hearing as a last resort. Overseen by an Independent Review Panel, these hearings serve as a powerful tool to hold governments accountable, urging them to act on credible evidence and uphold the rule of law in the protection of wildlife. To date, Wildlife Justice has held only one Public Hearing, concerning Vietnam. That hearing resulted in several arrests being made by Vietnamese authorities, including a high-level rhino trafficker and the head of a major trafficking syndicate. It also resulted in an ongoing, highly productive relationship between Wildlife Justice and the authorities in Vietnam. A deterrent effect has meant additional Public Hearings have not been held. However, the prospect of Public Hearings remains an important part of the Wildlife Justice accountability model.
We maintain strict confidentiality during the investigation phase in order to preserve the quality of the evidence obtained. Once the investigation is completed, and if a Case File has been produced, certain aspects may be publicly disclosed.
The Independent Review Panel is made up of high-level experts who have no direct connection to Wildlife Justice; they do not receive payment for their work (beyond reimbursement of expenses incurred while attending the Public Hearing). They have been asked to examine the Case File with a critical eye, and to form their opinions based solely on the facts that have been presented to them.
The Public Hearing is a measure of last resort if other efforts to achieve justice have not been successful. We have guidelines, prepared in accordance with our Rules of Procedure, that help us determine if we need to move to a Public Hearing.
The comparison is understandable, but wildlife crime is fundamentally different. This isn’t about criminalising use or possession—it’s about dismantling transnational criminal networks that profit from corruption and the trafficking of wildlife. In addition, while the supply of illegal drugs is seemingly endless, the supply of wildlife is extremely limited; once a species is extinct, it’s gone forever. We focus on the top of the criminal chain: the organisers and financiers, not low-level actors. Our approach targets systemic, large-scale activities like money laundering and corruption. When enforcement includes strong prosecutions, asset seizures, and international cooperation, it works. We’ve seen trafficking networks shut down, key criminals imprisoned, and trafficking activity drop significantly in certain hotspots as a direct result of effective enforcement.
Poverty and lack of opportunity are important drivers of wildlife crime, which is why community-based conservation matters. The Wildlife Justice Commission, however, focuses on organised criminal networks. We target syndicate leaders making millions from trafficking, not individuals trying to survive. Enforcement is one tool, and we work alongside partners who address the root causes to create a broader, lasting solution.
Wildlife Justice recognises the challenges posed by justice systems in certain regions where we operate, and also the capacity gaps faced by law enforcement in those same areas. That’s why our role goes beyond gathering evidence—we actively support our partners to build strong, fair cases and present them effectively in court. By providing expertise, tools, and assistance throughout investigation and prosecution, we help ensure integrity in proceedings and accountability for wildlife traffickers.
In the organised crime world, replacing foot soldiers is easy, but replacing leadership is hard. That’s why Wildlife Justice targets the kingpins and the biggest networks, whose removal will have significant, lasting impact and cause severe disruption in trafficking. Strong and consistent prosecution, sentencing, and asset recovery along the entire supply chain are proven to deter crime, with financial penalties from asset recovery being especially effective.
The number varies depending on the product—some networks are opportunistic, trading in anything profitable, while others are highly specialised, focused on a single species or commodity. These networks involve complex supply chains of poachers, brokers, transporters, receivers, kingpins, and facilitators like lawyers and accountants, often spanning borders. In the Asia-Africa trafficking nexus, we estimate there are about a dozen major networks at any given time—but they’re constantly shifting. That’s why we focus less on counting networks and more on targeting kingpins and high-level actors whose disruption has lasting, system-wide impact.
Wildlife trafficking is fuelled by a continued demand for luxury wildlife products, and there are collective efforts that have been going on for some time. Although we do not work on demand reduction ourselves, we cooperate with other organisations who work in this area by sharing our intelligence and insights from our investigations. While efforts are underway to try to reduce demand, we see a particular vulnerability in the criminal supply chain, which is why we seek to disrupt and dismantle the biggest and most destructive criminal networks.
Our funding portfolio comes from a balance of sources, with a strong emphasis on foundation and major donor support. The majority of funds are restricted to specific projects, while a portion also contributes to core operations. Funding comes primarily from the Netherlands, the broader EU, the US, and the UK. Most of our funding comes from individuals, foundations, and lotteries. We receive a small amount of funding from governments and through partnerships with other NGOs. As a small and nimble organisation, unrestricted funding is crucial. It allows us to respond in real time, adapt to shifting criminal tactics, and go after high-level targets without delay.
Donations are vital to our mission. They enable us to operate independently, respond rapidly, and take on complex investigations that put high-level wildlife traffickers in prison. Your support helps us deploy investigative teams, gather and analyse intelligence, support law enforcement partners, and ensure that seizures lead to arrests and convictions. It also funds training for local authorities, strengthens legal frameworks, and supports our policy work to drive systemic change. Because we don’t rely on any single government or entity, donations allow us to act with neutrality, integrity, and agility—targeting transnational criminal networks wherever they operate.
The nature of our work is unpredictable: traffickers constantly adapt by shifting routes, markets, and species. To stay ahead of them, we must be ready to act when the opportunity arises, often without warning. This is why unrestricted funding is a strategic imperative. It enables us to deploy operatives in real time, respond to emerging threats, and pursue high-level targets without delay. When criminal networks shift their operations, unrestricted funding allows us to pivot and intervene, whether in a new market or with an unanticipated species.
The best way to stay connected is to sign up for our newsletter, where you’ll get updates on our latest investigations, impact stories, and the many ways you can take part in protecting wildlife from organised crime. You can also follow us on social media to amplify our message and raise awareness of the work we’re doing around the world. And if you’re in a position to do so, we would be deeply grateful for your financial support.
Currently, the Wildlife Justice Commission is focusing on vulnerable species where we have the potential to make the greatest impact. These include sharks, pangolins, rhinos, and tigers, among others.
The journey begins with intelligence gathering—identifying the most influential criminals, typically those operating at the highest levels of transnational wildlife crime networks. This intelligence is often collected across borders, leveraging a wide array of sources to ensure a comprehensive view of the criminal landscape. Once intelligence is gathered, Wildlife Justice initiates undercover operations, and we ensure that all intelligence is verified and corroborated. During investigations, our undercover operatives and investigators collect evidence both domestically and internationally, working across the supply chain. The evidence we collect is held to the highest standards, ensuring it is credible enough to secure convictions in a court of law.
There isn’t a specific timeframe for Wildlife Justice investigations. It depends on the level of intelligence we are able to gather and how actionable it is. In addition, our cooperation with local law enforcement also influences the duration of the investigation. It is dependent on resources and the different judicial systems of each country and jurisdiction.
Building on our on-the-ground efforts, we share our expertise and recommendations to influence policy at a global and multilateral level, and to build political will to elevate the importance given to wildlife crime, including in the broader context of environmental crime, and increase the effectiveness of government responses.
We work with policymakers to bring forth evidence-based recommendations that enable and compel them to take action to stop wildlife crime in their countries and across their borders. We do this by contributing to policy documents, hosting and presenting at events where decisionmakers are present, and contributing to policy developments. We participate at international forums and conferences, such as the CCPCJ, UNCAC, UNTOC, and the United Nations Ocean Decade Conference. We increasingly engage at conservation forums, such as CITES, to emphasise the importance of addressing the crime aspect to succeed in conservation efforts.
We are especially grateful to the Dutch Postcode Lottery (Nationale Postcode Loterij) for their fantastic support of our work. The Postcode Lottery has been with us since the beginning in 2015 and awarded us a five-year beneficiary status in 2018, providing an annual unrestricted grant. This support was extended for another five years in 2023.
We use a comprehensive, intelligence-led approach, grounded in proven law enforcement methodologies. Our work begins with the collection and analysis of intelligence to identify the most significant actors in transnational wildlife crime networks. These intelligence-led investigations are rigorous and evidence-based. Our undercover operatives work both domestically and internationally across the supply chain, collecting evidence that meets the high standards required for court prosecutions. Alongside these investigations, Wildlife Justice works to build political will by sharing intelligence and strategic insights with decisionmakers and international allies. To build capability, Wildlife Justice supports governments and law enforcement agencies with tailored technical and operational assistance. Finally, through our accountability model, Wildlife Justice ensures that when evidence of wildlife crime is ignored or not acted upon by governments, there are mechanisms in place to escalate the issue.
