The Wildlife Trafficking Enforcement Act of 2015 - Fall

Advisor: Melissa Wright

Wildlife trafficking is a multibillion-dollar global criminal enterprise that threatens biodiversity, ecosystem stability, and international security. S.27 strengthens enforcement by amending federal criminal statutes to classify high-value wildlife trafficking violations (over $10,000) as predicate offenses under the Travel Act, Money Laundering statutes, and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. By elevating large-scale wildlife crimes to the level of organized crime offenses, the legislation increases penalties and expands prosecutorial authority.

The workshop designed an implementation strategy titled “Operation Tiger,” focused on enhanced enforcement, interagency coordination between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Justice, development of a value attribution system for trafficked species, and establishment of a wildlife crime database. The program includes strengthened surveillance, prosecution protocols, public-private partnerships, and allocation of fines to conservation funds for impacted species. Through these mechanisms, the Act aims to deter organized wildlife crime, disrupt trafficking networks, and reinvest enforcement proceeds into species conservation efforts.

Learn more about the MPA-ESP Workshop in Applied Earth Systems Management.