There are a variety of means available to deter and prevent illegal import and export, including:
- Compiling records on importers and exporters of banned/controlled substances and species at the country levels;
- Integrating this data with actionable intelligence and enforcement actions to get a profile of contraband, trafficking methods, and likely countries of origin;
- Obtaining statistics of seizures and confiscations from enforcement interventions, analyse this, and feed the results into the system to adjust profiles;
- Collating and disseminating national intelligence on environmental crimes more effectively to allow for coordinated enforcement actions between jurisdictions;
- Placing greater focus on international trafficking routes;
- Creating partnerships with established NGOs can prove effective in monitoring and surveillance activities; for example, NGOs such as the Environmental Investigation Agency provide extensive research into trade routes of particular kinds of environmental contraband. TRAFFIC, which is a joint wildlife monitoring programme of IUCN and WWF, is the most developed attempt to provide sustained non-governmental support and intelligence, and it acts as an occasional independent monitor, clearing house, and international research organisation for information on wildlife trade and some fisheries and forestry issues. [CITES Notification to the Parties No. 2004/078 of 9 December 2004 provides guidance for submission of enforcement information by the public and NGOs.];
- Adopting simple mechanisms such as Interpol’s “Eco-message” form of reporting or soliciting information on environmental violations involving transboundary collaboration. Eco-message forms in due course will provide information on global trafficking patterns for more detailed risk assessment and enforcement targeting;
- Targeting international enforcement efforts at weak points in the commodity chain, particularly for exhaustible commodities such as endangered species, timber, and fish, where stock protection is paramount; and
- Development of task forces and other means to ensure coordination among relevant agencies and among national and sub-national authorities (including state/provincial and local authorities, as appropriate). For example, in the United States, the US Department of Justice, Environmental Protection Agency, and other federal, state, and international agencies operated an “ODS Task Force” which met regularly to exchange information and discuss targeted enforcement related to ozone-depleting substances; this task force led to very successful results. These task forces can also be bilateral, sub-regional, or regional to facilitate communication and cooperation, as illustrated in Guideline 48
and accompanying text.