LIFE and wildlife crime

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Wildlife crime has a negative impact on biodiversity across the world. The illegal killing, trapping or trade of species is putting the European Union’s biodiversity under pressure. In April 2017, the European Commission adopted the “Action Plan for nature, people and the economy” to improve the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives and boost their contribution towards reaching the EU’s biodiversity targets for 2020.

LIFE & Wildlife Crime shows how LIFE projects have already helped contribute to each of the areas identified in the EU Roadmap towards eliminating illegal killing, trapping and trade of birds: monitoring and data collection, prevention, information exchange, training and awareness-raising, and enforcement and legal aspects.

Among the presented LIFE projects are “The Return of the Neophron” - with an emphasis on the anti-poison dog units in Greece and building an anti-poison network; and “The Egyptian Vulture New LIFE” with aim to reinforce the easternmost European Egyptian Vulture population by delivering urgent conservation measures to address major known threats at breeding grounds and also along the flyway. The project is building on actions undertaken between 2011 and 2016 through “The Return of the Neophron” project and brings together institutions and organizations from 14 countries spanning the Balkans, Middle East and Africa.

The aim of the brochure is not only to highlight the actions of specific projects, but also to provide a set of lessons and best practices that will be of use to all those interested in tackling wildlife crime, with a particular focus on illegal killing (poisoning and poaching) of bird species and large carnivores.

Find the brochure “LIFE & Wildlife Crime” here.