Cyber Enabled Wildlife Crime

Cyber-crime is an ‘umbrella’ term for lots of different types of crimes which either take place online or where technology is a means and/or target for the attack. It is one of the fastest growing criminal activities across the world, and can affect both individuals and businesses. The adopted definitions of cybercrime are:

– Cyber Dependent Crimes, where a digital system is the target as well as the means of attack. These include attacks on computer systems to disrupt IT infrastructure, and stealing data over a network using malware.

– Cyber Enabled Crimes, ‘existing’ crimes that have been transformed in scale or form by their use of the internet. The growth of the internet has allowed these crimes to be carried out on an industrial scale.

– The use of the internet to facilitate drug dealing, people smuggling and many other ‘traditional’ crime types.

The National Wildlife Crime Unit contextualise wildlife crime across key thematic threat areas – focusing on the ways in which wildlife crime is perpetrated, rather than limiting it on a species by species basis. As a result, in 2018, cyber enabled wildlife crime became one of the areas of priority focus within the UK.

Cyber enabled wildlife crime ultimately allows criminality to continue or hinders the effective investigation or prosecution of offences. The use of the internet as an enabler in the facilitation of wildlife crime is manifest throughout many types of wildlife crime – from the on-line trade in illegal egg collections to the organisation of hare coursing competitions to the trade in endangered species.

The NWCU support police forces to investigate the illegal trade in endangered species and very few of these investigations are seen without a ‘cyber’ element. The use of on-line tools evidently enables the trade in endangered species to continue unabated. There is a large UK market for exotic species and the trade takes many forms such as taxidermy, skulls, plants and bones as well as tusks, teeth, feathers, skins and claws. Much of the UK trade is conducted via on-line platforms and the opportunities to buy and sell over the internet has opened the trade to a global customer base. The use of on-line sales platforms create a volume of legal trade amongst which illegal items can be sold. Traders can then establish a network of contacts through which further illegal trade can take place via personal messaging, all of which is, of course, hidden from researchers or investigators. The UK’s National Wildlife Crime Unit are an integral part of the cyber enabled wildlife crime priority delivery group which has been working on a number of critical areas to increase our capacity to tackle cyber enabled wildlife crime.

Cyber Enabled Wildlife Crime Priority Delivery Group

Strategic Aim

To facilitate collaboration between enforcement agencies, government departments, non-government organisations and civil society organisations to deliver a joined up, cohesive, pro-active approach to identifying and tackling Cyber Enabled Wildlife Crime. 

Cyber Enabled wildlife crime will include (though not exclusively): –

·         Illegal Wildlife Trade through internet sales platforms (CITES priority, EPS species sales including Bat Persecution priority)

·         Use of personal internet profiles to promote unlawful personal activities such as hare coursing, deer poaching,  fish poaching and badger persecution (Poaching priority, Badger persecution priority)

·         Use of personal or commercial internet profiles which promote illegal items and encourage communication in relation to illegal wildlife trade (CITES priority)

·         The use of software or online areas (such as forums, applications, etc.) where illegal activities can be promoted or facilitated through communication. (Badger Persecution priority, CITES priority, Poaching priority, Raptor Persecution priority)

·         Use of encrypted communication or messaging services to facilitate illegal wildlife crime, particularly trade or events. (All priorities)

Strategic Objectives

The strategic objectives of the Cyber Enabled Wildlife Crime PDG are to:

1.    Raise the profile and increase awareness of cyber enabled wildlife crime via the public, partners and law enforcement agencies through a clear partnership communication plan

2.    Share best practice between group members and non group members

3.    Share proposed future work streams / projects to reduce duplication and aid learning

4.    Identify and provide evidence for changes to legislation and to work with partners to deliver meaningful change

5.    Increase intelligence sharing between stakeholders with a focus on quality

6.    Identify processes for submitting intelligence and reporting incidents

7.    Coordinate national and international cross border responses to cyber enabled wildlife crime

8.    Where relevant, tackle Organised Crime Groups linked to cyber enabled wildlife crime, by building strong relationships with Regional Organised Crime Units and the National Wildlife Crime Unit

9.    Identify opportunities to promote training and education for partners and the public

Each of these strategic objectives will provide focus and direction for the group, enabling them to deliver against the above Strategic Aim and a number of the objectives contained within the NPCC National Wildlife Crime Policing Strategy.

Cyber Enabled Wildlife Crime PDG Membership

The Cyber Enabled Wildlife Crime PDG is made up of representatives from Government, Law Enforcement agencies, Non-Government organisations and Civil Society Organisations, all working together to target cyber enabled wildlife crime. 

Geographical remit will be primarily UK, but assistance may be provided internationally, if deemed appropriate.  

There are representatives from:-

Law Enforcement

·         National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU):  Chair supported by intelligence and enforcement representation

·         National Crime Agency (NCA – invited)

·         Police representatives

·         UK Border Force CITES Team

Government Organisations

·         Defra: Wildlife Policy Advisor

·         Environment Agency (EA)

·         Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA)

Non-Government Organisations

·         Badger Trust

·         Born Free

·         Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)

·         International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)

·         League Against Cruel Sports (LACS)

·         Naturewatch Foundation

·         Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association (OATA)

·         Reptile and Exotic Pet Trade Association (REPTA)

·         Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)

·         Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)

·         Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA)

·         TRAFFIC

·         World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

Civil Society Organisations

·         University of Kent

Reporting / Governance

The group will be required to produce a three year plan and to submit six monthly updates to the UK Tasking & Co-ordinating Group, chaired by the NPCC lead for Wildlife Crime.  This will take the format of a written update and submission of a template detailing activity against the NPCC Wildlife Crime Policing Strategy.  Administration for the group (recording and updating actions, co-ordinating meetings and reporting via appropriate governance structures) will be the responsibility of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit.  The NWCU will maintain an action plan for the group and will be responsible for preparing submissions for the UK TCG for ratification by the group. 

Wildlife & Countryside Link 2019 report on Wildlife Crime include a section on Cyber Enabled Wildlife Crime:
Cyber enabled wildlife crime may be defined as those persons who plan, conduct, and share their illegal exploits via the internet for the purposes of financial gain, sadistic pleasure, or the sharing of common interests. The legislation that encompasses cyber enabled wildlife crime is diverse and varied and includes, for example, CITES-implementing legislation, the Animal Welfare Act, the Protection of Badgers Act, and the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Cyber enabled wildlife crime can also include areas that are not currently part of the UK priorities. These include closed communications and trade in illegally captured wild birds such as finches, posts
and communications on illegally set snares and traps, and images and videos of wildlife disturbance such as dolphins.

The illegal wildlife trade threatens some of the world’s most iconic animals and plants. The UK is implicated as both a transit and destination country for trade in illegal wildlife products, as well as being a source country (e.g. live raptors for the falconry trade).

Drivers of crime
Cyber enabled wildlife crime facilitates illegal activity in four key areas – wildlife trafficking, illegal badger persecution, poaching and raptor persecution.

Wildlife Trafficking: The demand for live species and wildlife products ultimately drives wildlife trafficking offences. Demand emerges from the pet trade and the food chain to ornamental and traditional medicine products.

Badgers: The organisation of illegal persecution and the discussion of their activities on social media, including closed groups and forums, takes place along with the images and videos of injured dogs or badgers, and the promotion and sale of dogs specifically bred and trained for badger baiting.

Poaching: The organisation of poaching events with mobile app technology to facilitate communication or money transfers from illegal betting, to the cheap sale of their gains such as venison, salmon and game. Dogs have also been specifically bred, trained, and sold for poaching.

Raptors: Closed groups and forums discussing and planning persecution, the purchase or sale of illegal poisons and the disturbance of raptors for photos

A multitude of trading platforms makes the scale of the internet a challenge for surveillance and monitoring of wildlife crime. Identifying illegally sourced plants, and difficulties in tracking shipments resulting from online transactions, further complicates the task.

Source: Wildlife & Countryside Link 2019 report on Wildlife Crime