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Namibian Wildlife Crimes article archive

This archive of published media articles about wildlife crime in Namibia aims to:

  • provide easy public access to published information and statistics
  • enable easy stakeholder access to articles
  • provide a comprehensive archive of wildlife crime reporting in Namibia

Public access to information is a vital component of ensuring community engagement in prevalent issues. Wildlife crime is one of the pressing environmental issues of our time.

Wildlife crime investigations are generally covert operations requiring utmost confidentiality to succeed. Investigations and prosecutions in complex cases may take months or even years to complete. For this reason, the information that can be released to the public without compromising cases is often limited. Nonetheless, the Namibian government strives to share as much information as possible with the public.

The Namibian media has welcomed this approach and regularly publishes statistics and feature articles on wildlife crime. These are entered into the database at regular intervals, creating a comprehensive archive of wildlife crime reporting in Namibia.

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Displaying results 1 - 8 of 8
Thursday, 31 July 2025
2025. New guide for Philippine investigators chasing the financial footprints of wildlife traffickers.

This comprehensive tool provides a summary of the Philippine Anti-money Laundering (AML) legal framework and practical guidance on basic financial investigations, evidence gathering and case development. Wildlife crimes are motivated by money, and most involve transactions with indelible records in financial systems. Financial investigation can be used to provide intelligence and evidence of criminality and support confiscation of assets.

Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Kimbrough L 2025. More than 10,000 species on brink of extinction need urgent action: Study.

New research identifies 10,443 critically endangered species worldwide, with effective protection strategies available if funding and political will follow. More than 1,500 species, or 15% of the critically endangered species, are estimated to have fewer than 50 mature individuals remaining in the wild. Just 16 countries hold more than half of all critically endangered species, with concentrations across the Caribbean islands, Atlantic coastal regions of South America, the Mediterranean, Cameroon, Lake Victoria, Madagascar and Southeast Asia.

Friday, 25 July 2025
Smit E 2025. Plant poaching on a steep incline.

Namibia's succulents are being poached at levels that could quickly wipe out entire species, and that for a global ornamental plant market largely unaware of the damage being caused. According to the Namibia National Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement Report for 2024, live-plant trafficking poses a massive threat to Namibian succulents and pachycauls. Large numbers of live plants were once again seized in 2024, although the number of arrests and seizures was lower than in 2023.

Friday, 25 July 2025
Smit E 2025. Plant poaching on a steep incline.

Namibia's succulents are being poached at levels that could quickly wipe out entire species, and that for a global ornamental plant market largely unaware of the damage being caused. According to the Namibia National Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement Report for 2024, live-plant trafficking poses a massive threat to Namibian succulents and pachycauls. Large numbers of live plants were once again seized in 2024, although the number of arrests and seizures was lower than in 2023.

Wednesday, 23 July 2025
2025. Tackling Illegal Activities.

Illegal activities that pose significant challenges in most of Africa include habitat loss through charcoal production, illicit harvesting of timber, poaching of wildlife, and overfishing of water resources. In the Lugenda Wildlife Reserve (LUWIRE) within the Niassa Special Reserve of northern Mozambique, these issues are being addressed head-on.

Thursday, 17 July 2025
Pike S 2025. Africa: Unique fauna and flora under siege on South Africa's West Coast.

The smallest tortoise in the world lives on South Africa's west coast, and a button-shaped succulent endemic to a tiny area of the Northern Cape can be found nowhere else in the world. But the area's unique fauna and flora are under threat from poaching, mining, farming, and climate change.

Tuesday, 15 July 2025
2025. South Africa: Minister welcomes 15 year sentences in R30m plant poaching case.

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, has commended the conviction and sentencing of four foreign nationals involved in a major plant poaching case, valued between R6 million and R30 million. The Calvinia Regional Court sentenced the accused to 15 years direct imprisonment for the illegal harvesting of 303 specimens of the critically endangered Clivia mirabilis, a rare species endemic to parts of the Northern and Western Cape.

Tuesday, 8 July 2025
Engel K 2025. Conviction reveals criminal syndicates' shifting focus in illegal plant trade.

The conviction of four people in the Northern Cape for the illegal poaching of the miracle bush lily reveals that criminal syndicates are targeting a wider array of South Africa's unique flora for international markets. The Calvinia Regional Court in the Northern Cape has convicted four foreign nationals for poaching 303 Clivia mirabilis, more commonly known as the miracle bush lily or the Oorlogskloof bush lily, worth an estimated retail value of between R6-million and R30-million.

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