Wildlife crime is devastating for endangered European species and a growing risk to our societies’ economic development and security, but most cases still go unpunished or undetected. This is one of the main findings of a new report published on July 5th 2023 by the LIFE SWiPE project, ‘Uncovering the Invisible: Successes and Challenges for […]
New Report Highlights Alarming Rise in Sturgeon Trafficking in the Lower Danube Region Wildlife crime is threatening the survival of critically endangered sturgeon species, according to the latest WWF report on sturgeon poaching and trafficking in the Lower Danube region. The analysis documents 395 cases of illegal sturgeon fishing and trade in Bulgaria, Romania, and […]
Every week, at least one Iberian lynx is shot, poisoned or killed in illegal snares, a steady trickle that threatens to undermine efforts to recover this strictly protected species. According to an analysis carried out by WWF Spain as part of the LIFE SWiPE project, an estimated 68 lynx died in 2021 as a result […]
A wolf registered as M237 was shot illegally in April 2023 in Hungary. The GPS-collared wolf was tracked for 1,900 kilometres from Switzerland to Hungary, making it the longest recorded dispersal by a wolf in Europe. After the wolf’s GPS collar sent unusual information, the Hungarian Police launched a search operation and found the collar […]
On July 2023, the 31st International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB), the premier global meeting for conservation scientists and professionals, hosted a talk from the LIFE SWiPE project team about the situation of wildlife crime in Spain. The congress, organized by the Society for Conservation Biology, took place from July 23-27, 2023 in Kigali, Rwanda. […]
In cooperation with famous Croatian actors and musicians, WWF Adria recorded three monodramas that show, in an emotional way, the consequences that poaching, poisoning, smuggling, and illegal trade can have on a single animal. “The unusual tales about a little bear cub, a golden eagle, and a sea cucumber, played by Darko Rundek, Jelena Miholjević, […]
Less than 7% of recorded cases of wildlife crime between 2015 and 2020 ended with a court sentence, according to a report by WWF Spain. The data was unveiled at a knowledge-exchange workshop with judicial and police authorities held in Madrid in May 2023, as part of the LIFE SWIPE project. In the absence of […]
With all sturgeon species in Europe now facing extinction, a WWF-CEE report details the alarming scale of the ongoing illegal catches of these iconic fish, which is the main threat to the survival of remaining sturgeon species in the Lower Danube. The report, a unique endeavor that compiles data across Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine, is […]
At the beginning of May, WWF Adria-Serbia worked with the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia to organize three one-day workshops in Belgrade, Niš and Novi Sad in Serbia. Over 80 representatives from the Environmental Crime Unit and other police units (border police, traffic police) attended the training. The goal of this […]
On March 20th 2023, a delegation of three police representatives from Serbia – Aida Gogalić from the Environmental Crime Unit and coordinator Tamara Jevtović and veterinary Branislav Vilimonović from the Police Training Center for Dog Handlers and Police Dogs– travelled to Hungary for a two-day training program in improving wildlife crime detection through the use […]