December 1, 2014

Interpol, an international organization of police authorities, has launched its first operation asking for public assistance in locating and bringing to justice fugitives wanted specifically for crimes against the environment. The new Operation Infra (International Fugitive Round Up and Arrest) Terra includes a “Most Wanted” list of 9 of the 139 fugitives being sought for such crimes as wildlife trafficking, illegal logging, and trading in illegal ivory.

Environmental crime, according to Interpol, involves both wildlife crime–the illegal exploitation of the world’s wild flora and fauna–and pollution crime, the illegal trading and disposal of hazardous wastes or resources. Estimates of the annual value of environmental crime range from $70 billion to $213 billion. The illegal wildlife trade alone is worth some $19 billion a year, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare. In recent years, terrorist organizations have turned to poaching and other forms of wildlife crime to fund their activities.

Poaching poses a major problem in a number of national parks that provide homes for threatened wildlife. This photograph shows elephant tusks that were seized from ivory poachers in Africa. (© Masterfile)

Among those on Interpol’s first environmental “Most Wanted” list are Italian Adriano Giacobone, wanted for, among other crimes, the illegal transport and discharge of toxic waste; Zambian Ben Simasiku, wanted for the unlawful possession of elephant tusks; and Indonesian Sudiman Sunoto, wanted for illegal logging. “We believe that the capture of these criminals on the run will contribute to the dismantlement of transnational crime groups who have turned environmental exploitation into a professional business with lucrative revenues,” said Interpol official Stefano Carvelli.

Additional World Book articles:

• Animal (The future of animals)
• Deforestation
• Elephant (Protecting elephants)
• Endangered species
• Rain forest (The future of rain forests)
• Wildlife conservation

Aug. 10, 2012

Lemurs, long-tailed, furry mammals related to monkeys, are probably the most endangered group of vertebrates (animals with backbones) on Earth, conservationists with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) have reported. The IUCN, also known as The World Conservation Union, is a federation of government and private conservation organizations that works with countries and organizations around the world to save rare plant and animal species from extinction. Lemurs live in the wild only in the island countries of Madagascar and Comoros, which lie off the southeast coast of Africa. At a workshop in Madagascar, IUCN conservationists classified 23 of the 103 known species of lemur as critically endangered, the highest threat level. In 2008, the IUCN had reported that 8 species were critically endangered. Altogether, 91 percent of lemur species are currently in danger. As a result, these primates are more threatened than any other species of mammal as well as any species of reptile, amphibian, bird, or bony fish, according to the IUCN.

A poor country, Madagascar in recent years has been wracked by political upheaval that has severely limited government efforts to protect the tropical forests where the lemurs live. Conservationists cited both widespread illegal timber logging and an increase in hunting for bushmeat as reasons for the lemur’s accelerating decline. About 90 percent of Madagascar’s original forests, which once covered most of the island, have been cut down. The island’s lemurs and other tree-dwelling animals now survive in scattered sections of the surviving forests, mostly near the coast.

Additional World Book articles:

• Conservation
  
• Deforestation
  
• Poaching
  
• In the Treetops: Life in the Rain Forest Canopy (a Special Report)