The Role of Geoinformatics in Combating Environmental Crime
New techniques made it possible to determine the origin of wood through its chemical composition, and gave authorities powerful investigative capabilities which helped to enforce trade laws like the Lacey Act in the United States and FLEGT in Europe.
Damaris E. Mateche and Kenneth Sinei, Interns Environmental Security Programme, ISS Nairobi Office
Environmental crime is a serious international problem that can impact negatively on the economies, security and even the very existence of nations. Criminal activities related to wildlife come second only to the drugs trade in terms of cash value. According to CITES, every year as many as 5 million wild birds, 30 000 primates, 15 million furs, 12 million orchids, 8 million cacti and countless other species are sold on the international market. There is also evidence of linkages between environmental crimes and other organized crimes - consignments of snakes in the US have for example been found to be stuffed with cocaine and illegally traded turtles have been found on the same boat as hauls of marijuana.
Illegal export of e-waste is another aspect of environmental crime having huge potential for informal networks of criminals to make profit, according to research work that was conducted on behalf of Interpol Pollution Crime Working Group. What emerged from the study was a picture of an industry in which unscrupulous operators are able to profit from disposing waste cheaply and illegally abroad instead of taking the environmental responsibility of a more expensive option of full recycling to remove and neutralise toxic materials.
Out on the high seas, the situation is no better. Bottom trawling is leading to the destruction of life on the seafloor, especially on seamounts, at such a high rate that there have been calls for an immediate moratorium. Oil spills caused by oil tanker accidents, the routine operations of ships and from illegal activities, such as releases into the sea, the oil residue from bilges or oil sediments from the tankers are major sources of pollution from hydrocarbons in our oceans. Many fishing fleets are facing pressure to ensure adequate profitability circumvent restrictions such as the closure of fisheries and severe limitations of allowable catches resulting in overexploitation of fishing stocks.
The fact that environmental crimes are being committed at an ever-increasing rate and cost to both biodiversity and economies, necessitates bringing into play improved crime combating capabilities that are efficient, cost effective and provide rapid results in order to rein them in.
Enter geoinformatics. Geoinformatics refer to the technologies supporting the processes of acquiring, analysing, and visualising spatial data. The capability of these technologies to visualise spatial relationships between natural landforms, observed environmental or ecological damage, and documented human activities help focus the scope of environmental crime investigations.
The presentation of spatial documentation can be a simple, direct and persuasive way to identify or eliminate potentially responsible parties in enforcement action. Activities that can be documented to occur, or to historically have occurred upstream from or adjacent to environmentally damaged areas can be catalogued and tracked. Spatial changes in the scope of the damages or threats can likewise be quantitatively documented. Geoinformatics is therefore a powerful tool in managing environmental damages, assessment and enforcement.
Environmental crime mapping is another application of geoinformatics which compares crime data in time and space against other human factors and events. This can be useful in establishing patterns, developing leads, and predicting future criminal trends. Through compiling crime hotspot maps, reports and crime data analysis, generation of real-time understanding of criminal activity can be developed. This ultimately provides specific strategies to respond timely to environmental crimes.
An example of the role of geoinformatics in combating environmental crimes was the tracking of illegal logging of rosewood in Madagascar. Illegal logging of precious hardwoods in Madagascar`s national parks exploded in the aftermath of a military coup in March 2009. The coup — which displaced the increasingly autocratic, but democratically elected president, Marc Ravalomanana — triggered a collapse in governance, which was exacerbated when donor countries stopped financial aid to the country.
Without funding and under pressure from criminal syndicates operating primarily in the northeastern part of the country, park rangers abandoned their posts and loggers moved in, harvesting hundreds of millions of dollars worth of rosewood and ebony from tens of thousands of hectares of protected areas. The logs were transported from forest areas to ports, where they were loaded onto ships. Much of the cargo was carried by foreign freighters to Reunion and Mauritius before going on to China. But since the harvesting and trafficking of rosewood was illegal, a large portion of the logs were hidden in stockyards and buried on beaches.
In December 2009, "transitional authority" leader Andry Rajoelina authorised rosewood export, ushering in a new frenzy of activity. Eyewitnesses reported the presence of "more than a thousand” loggers in Masoala National Park and Makira Natural Park, reserves renowned for their biodiversity, and long queues of trucks carrying rosewood to Vohemar, a major port in the region. Hundreds of containers of rosewood were moved from Vohemar to Tamatave, the country`s largest port, for export. Rosewood stockpiles were uncovered, dug up and readied for shipment.
But while traders were able to evade detection locally by concealing their contraband or through bribery, timber stocks and timber-carrying trucks and boats were clearly visible to the rest of world via regularly-updated, high resolution satellite imagery. International law enforcement agencies were therefore capable of monitoring storage and movement of the illegally sourced timber.
New techniques made it possible to determine the origin of wood through its chemical composition, and gave authorities powerful investigative capabilities which helped to enforce trade laws like the Lacey Act in the United States and FLEGT in Europe. These regulations put the burden of responsibility on importing companies, holding them to the environmental laws of producing countries, even when those countries are unwilling or unable to enforce their rules.
In the case of Madagascar’s rosewood, there has already been enforcement action under the Lacey Act. In November 2009, U.S. federal agents raided a factory in Tennessee due to concerns that the company had been using illegally harvested rosewood from Madagascar. A trader could be directly at risk since he does business under Flavour Handling LLC, a corporation based in Delaware. As a U.S. Company, if Flavour Handling is shown to be involved in timber trafficking that violates Madagascar`s environmental laws; it could be potentially exposed to prosecution under the Lacey Act. Satellite imagery and chemical signatures of wood could serve as the evidence.
In this era of global free trade, the ease of communication and movement of goods and money facilitate the operations of groups involved in environmental crimes. These criminals often stand to gain high profits at low risk from their activities. Increased co-ordination in investigation, additional resources and effective deterrents are essential in order to combat the problem. Technologies such as geoinformatics may go some way in aiding law enforcement towards this end.
