Wildlife DNA forensics play a critical role in helping address illegal wildlife trade, serving both as a robust tool within the criminal justice system and as a strategic resource for the disruption and prevention of transnational environmental crime.
The World Bank-led, GEF-funded Global Wildlife Program (GWP) is one of the largest global partnerships created to conserve wildlife, with several of its projects focused on enhancing wildlife forensics capabilities to combat wildlife trafficking.
This virtual knowledge exchanged, hosted by the World Bank, through the GWP, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), shared best practices in wildlife forensics and explored ways to expand efforts in the field.
The workshop featured presentations from seven guest speakers who shared insights and case studies on the application of wildlife forensics across various countries. Presentations covered core topics such as crime scene investigation principles, DNA analysis, and best practices for national forensics lab development and management. Participants were given the opportunity to interact with experts in the field and discuss challenges, lessons learned, and successful adaptations.
Key takeaways from the presentations and case studies include:
Wildlife forensics serves both criminal justice and crime disruption purposes. Despite their potential, these approaches remain underused and unevenly developed, especially in key IWT-affected countries.
Beyond legal proceedings, wildlife forensic data can help uncover trafficking networks by combining evidence from seizures with other intelligence (e.g., financial flows, digital traces) to map routes, actors, and operations.
Standardized methods are essential for accurate species identification and reliable forensic evidence.
For forensic evidence to be admissible in court, labs must operate under robust Quality Management Systems (QMS). Implementing a QMS requires defining test scopes, applying international standards (e.g., SWFS), and investing in analyst training.
Proper collection of evidence at crime scenes is critical for both investigations and downstream forensic testing.
Biodiversity-rich countries like South Africa face difficulties due to limited reference DNA data. The GEF-7 project supported expansion of the country’s DNA reference library, DNA barcoding system and biobank.
Wildlife forensic labs in Gabon, Thailand, and Malaysia, supported by GWP GEF-6 and GEF-7 funds, have contributed to cross-border enforcement, prosecutions and anti-poaching efforts.
In some cases, DNA analysis have also played a key role in court cases to verify suspect statements, disprove false accusations, and help reduce charges.
For wildlife forensics to be effective, countries need functional legal systems and well-trained law enforcement personnel on the ground.