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In 2019, Malawi dismantled the Chinese-led Lin-Zhang wildlife trafficking syndicate, a major win in its fight against the illegal wildlife trade, thanks in part to funding from the U.S. government. The Trump administration’s recent slashing of international development funds, however, threatens these gains, leaving frontline enforcers and conservation programs without critical support. NGOs across Africa and Southeast Asia, running initiatives from sniffer rat programs to antipoaching patrols, tell Mongabay they're struggling to fill the funding gap.

The U.S., the largest importer of wildlife products in the world, brings in nearly 10,000 species of plants and animals into the country legally, some of which have a high potential to become invasive species. A recent study assessed these imported species and identified 32 as having the highest risk for becoming invasive, posing threats to local ecosystems and to human health.

China has updated its pharmacopeia, its list of approved traditional and Western drugs, to remove traditional formulas with pangolin scales, offering hope for pangolin conservation - but also leaving some concerns about continued production. The new edition, effective Oct. 1, 2025, removes both raw pangolin scales and all formulas known to contain them, marking a significant step forward in conservation efforts, though conservationists caution that a few untracked formulas may still remain.

As environmental crime goes global and awareness of its massive scope rises, finding agreement between governments on which illegal trades to target, and how, is not simple and leads to a piecemeal approach, a new op-ed argues. The case for international law enforcement cooperation is growing stronger, though, with the U.N. recently launching an intergovernmental process to explore new protocols targeting environmental crime under its existing convention against transnational organized crime, UNTOC.

On Nov. 11, 2024, Alfi Simatupang, a police officer in Asahan district on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, was arrested along with two soldiers and a civilian for allegedly attempting to traffic nearly 1.2 metric tons of pangolin scales. Since that bust, the civilian, Amir Simatupang, has gone on trial; the soldiers, Muhammad Yusuf Harahap and Rahmadani Syahputra, are undergoing a court-martial; while Alfi, the alleged mastermind of the trafficking plot, has not only avoided prosecution, but even been promoted.

The Cape vulture, Southern Africa's only endemic vulture species, has shown positive signs of recovery in some parts of its range, with the overall population stabilizing. In 2021, the species' conservations status improved from endangered to vulnerable, making the Cape vulture a rare success story for vulture conservation in Africa, say conservationists.

Lions are the most-traded wildcat in the world, and the only big cat whose commercial trade is permitted under CITES, the international wildlife trade agreement. Lion body parts, including bones, skins, claws and teeth, trophies and live individuals are traded across the world, both legally and illegally. South Africa stands out as a hotspot for the trade due to the flourishing captive lion industry, which also supplies body parts and engages in canned hunting.

The Namibian police at Arandis in the Erongo Region arrested two suspects, aged 33 and 37, on Friday for allegedly illegally harvesting indigenous protected plants. The police said a third suspect managed to flee the scene but is known and can be arrested at any time. During an intelligence-led operation near Arandis, the police discovered a campsite where protected indigenous plants were found, namely 55 Elephant's Foot plants (Adenia pechuelii) and five Namib Corkwood plants (Commiphora dinteri).

Plant poaching has been the final straw for some. Conservationists say there’s no time to lose, as they consider an ecological triage for the most at-risk species here. "The most important thing we can do is to reduce other threats on these species, to make sure that the pressure of land transformation, for agriculture, for mining, overgrazing, and, of course, succulent plant poaching, all of these disrupt those systems and really reduce the resilience and the opportunities they have to adapt on their own.

Chinese businesswoman and property mogul, Qiaoxa Stina Wu, has said that she is not aware of any criminal investigation being carried out against herself or business partner Charlie Xie, after a seal genital cargo of 20 kilos was flagged in Hong Kong, China, after being exported from Namibia without the relevant export documents for listed species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). It is further reported that the cargo was undervalued to evade tax and that the true nature of the cargo was concealed.

A 36-YEAR-OLD man was arrested at Oromauua village near Etosha National Park on Friday for conspiracy to commit a crime and hunting specially protected game without a permit. According to the police, the arrest came after the suspect, who was driving a white Toyota Hilux GD6 Double Cab with three passengers, failed to stop at a mobile roadblock set up by Anti-Poaching members at Oromauua village. The police later intercepted the vehicle at Werda Police Station and discovered that there was only one occupant (the driver) in the vehicle.

A Total of 570 pangolins have been poached in Namibia since 2018. This was revealed by Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda, who said that the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism remains dedicated to protecting the nation's pangolins. According to Muyunda, there is an urgent need to combat threats such as habitat loss and illegal trafficking.

A South African court in January sentenced four poachers to several years in prison for two separate crimes committed in Kruger National Park (KNP). The Skukuza Regional Court, which in the past has boasted a near-100% conviction rate and under whose jurisdiction KNP falls, held two South African citizens, Sam Khosa and Solly Selahle, and a Mozambican named Oddis Maluleke, guilty of poaching a rhino and taking its horns in February 2019.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism has taken a significant step in combating wildlife crime by establishing specialized Environmental Crimes Courts (ECCs) in strategic locations across the country. Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said that they successfully held special courts in Oshakati, Rundu, and Katima Mulilo, each tasked with addressing the growing threat to Namibia’s precious wildlife.

As a source country, transit point, and final destination for animal products, Vietnam is a central actor in the global fight against wildlife trafficking. But for years, the CITES Secretariat has reprimanded Vietnam for not doing enough to combat and dismantle criminal wildlife trade networks that poach and trade wildlife, a major threat to biodiversity and endangered species.

The Namibian Police Force in the Ohangwena Region has arrested two men, aged 26 and 51, after they were found in possession of pangolin skin in Okongo. Ohangwena Crime Investigation Coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Melanie Mbuuru, said the suspects were arrested around 11:15 at the Pick n Pay complex in the Okongo district on Tuesday. According to Mbuuru, the suspects were found in possession of protected game products without a permit.

Community-led antitrafficking networks are proving pivotal in helping authorities intercept poachers targeting critically endangered and endemic tortoises in southern Madagascar’s fast-disappearing spiny forests. Illegal hunting, both for their meat and to supply the pet trade, has decimated the species’ population in recent decades. Indigenous people living in the range of the imperiled species are motivated to protect them due to long-standing traditional beliefs that value and respect the tortoises.

South Africa has faced a surge in poaching of rare succulents by criminal syndicates since 2019. A recent spike in prices paid for a different kind of plant, a drylands-adapted lily, the miracle clivia (Clivia mirabilis), has drawn the attention of plant-trafficking syndicates to the lone reserve where it grows. Large numbers of clivias have been seized by law enforcement, raising fears that this rare plant is quickly being wiped out from the limited range where it’s known to occur.

An incident of illegal hunting involving protected game was reported to the police in Omaruru on Friday after the remains of a waterbuck and an ostrich were discovered on a farm in the area. The exact time of the crime is unknown, but the police suspect it occurred between 27 and 29 November. The head and intestines of the waterbuck, as well as the legs of the ostrich, were found at the scene of the crime. No arrests have been made yet.

Kanyaruchinya, Democratic Republic of Congo - Amid a circle of spectators, a troupe of performers takes center stage. Songs resound, accompanied by the beat of drums and lively dances. A large banner carries a powerful message: "The future of our environment depends on our behavior today." The drumming soon gives way to a play performed in Swahili. We're in Kanyaruchinya, in the Nyiragongo territory of North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some 200,000 people have sought refuge in the southern part of the province, seeing a conflict that has been raging since…

Two Namibian community conservancies and a tourism operator have turned to the courts to block development of a tin mine. The conservancies say the environmental impact assessments for the open-pit mine are flawed and will disturb wildlife, including critically endangered southern black rhinos. In a similiar case in the //Huab Conservancy, a copper mine disturbed wildlife in the area, forcing rhino-based tourism to shut down.

Three suspected poachers, who allegedly travelled from Windhoek with the intention of poisoning rhinos at a farm in the Omaheke Region, were arrested by police on Saturday morning. According to the police's weekend crime report, the suspects planned to poach rhinos at Farm Morester in the Trans-Kalahari area by feeding them poisoned fruits. It is alleged that the suspects - aged between 29 and 41 - travelled on a truck from Windhoek to the Tallismanus T-junction, where they disembarked and walked to the farm.

In July this year, conservationists from North Carolina Zoo in the U.S. and the Grumeti Fund in Tanzania went searching for a white-backed vulture in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park that had been tagged a few weeks earlier. Tracking data suggested the bird had died. The team traveled off-road to the southwestern edge of the park, accompanied by rangers from the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA). Upon arriving at the bird's location, they came across a gruesome scene: 108 vultures had been sorted into rows, missing their heads and feet.

The Namibian Police in Otavi have arrested three suspects who were allegedly found in possession of warthog meat. The three suspects - one Angolan and two Namibian males - were apprehended at Farm Salem on Friday morning. The value of the warthog is estimated at N$500.

The Namibian Police have reported a fatal shooting incident in which three suspected poachers were fatally shot by members of the Anti-Poaching Unit in Etosha National Park. According to Chief Inspector Elifas Kuwinga, media liaison officer within the Namibian Police, the incident occurred on Friday, 15 November 2024, at around 19:00. During routine foot and vehicle patrols along the park’s fence, members of the Anti-Poaching Unit observed shoe prints indicating entry into the park through the fence.

The Namibian Police Force in the Oshana region has arrested a 42-year-old man after his vehicle was intercepted with timber loaded in it at the Oshiko roadblock on Thursday. Oshana Crime Investigation Coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Frederick Ndjadila, said that the suspect was caught around 21:00. According to Ndjadila, the suspect faces charges of possession of forest produce without a permit/license, transportation of forest produce without a permit/license, and driving a motor vehicle without a license.

Across the African continent, elephant populations have largely declined over the past several decades, but some areas show hopeful signs of recovery, according to a new study. Researchers have monitored the numbers of forest and savanna elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis, L. africana) in different parts of Africa since the 1960s. However, few stud ies have compiled all the survey data collected over decades, across the continent, George Wittemyer, study co-author and conservation biologist at Colorado State University, U.S., told Mongabay by email.

The Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) Secretariat has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Kingdom (UK) to collaborate on the regional application of the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund (BLF), which aims to restore landscapes. The KAZA Secretariat was represented by its Executive Director, Dr Nyambe Nyambe, while the UK was represented by Giles Enticknap MBE, the UK’s High Commissioner to Botswana and Special Representative to the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

A 45-year-old Zambian man was arrested in the Lubuta area of the Zambezi Region on Saturday for possession of six elephant tusks without a permit. According to the police, the man was arrested near the Lubuta-Sachona Gravel Road following an intelligence-led covert operation. The suspect was allegedly found with six elephant tusks, which had been cut into 12 pieces. The value of the tusks has not yet been determined. The suspect is expected to make his first court appearance today, at the Katima Mulilo Magistrates' Court.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism's anti-poaching unit recently received 22 patrol vehicles and IT equipment to support wildlife protection services. "The critical equipment we receive today - valued at approximately N$20 million - comes at a pivotal time for our conservation efforts. This consignment includes 21 4×4 off-road patrol vehicles, one Corolla Sedan, and IT equipment.

A 47-year-old resident of Onamishu village in the Oshikoto Region was recently arrested by the police after he was allegedly found in possession of 100 kilograms of dried kudu meat. The meat was discovered in his shebeen, and law enforcement officers said that his intention was to secretly take the meat to a market outside Onamishu for sale. It is further alleged that he was found in possession of a shotgun and respective ammunition, which the police suspect was used in the illegal hunting of the kudu.

The Congo rainforest is home to one of Africa's least-known and most threatened monkeys: the golden-bellied mangabey. Golden-bellied mangabeys form extraordinarily large troops of dozens of individuals, and field observations reveal a complex social structure reminiscent of that of humans. The species faces significant threats from habitat loss, hunting and illegal trade, with experts pushing for stronger legal protections, including an upgrade from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I listing.

The recent seizure in Thailand of 48 lemurs and more than 1,200 critically endangered tortoises endemic to Madagascar underscores the global scale of wildlife trafficking networks that use Thailand as a transshipment hub. The operation was aided by intelligence from a joint transnational investigation between Thai law enforcement agencies and international antitrafficking organizations working to dismantle global wildlife trafficking networks spanning Asia, Africa and South America.

One of the two suspected rhino poachers killed in a recent shootout at the Etosha border fence near Oshivello was out on bail for two previous poaching cases in the Okahao Court in 2020. The police identified the two poachers as Iishulu Johannes (30) and Mashuna Timoteus (40) and confirmed that the two were related. The police revealed that Timoteus had no other pending cases against him, while Johannes had a criminal history, with four pending cases, two of which were related to poaching.

Two suspected poachers were shot to death in an exchange of fire with members of the anti-poaching unit in the Etosha National Park on Wednesday. The incident occurred at the Scorpionbelt, Western Zone, when a patrol of the anti-poaching unit observed shoeprints that had entered the park through the park's fence. According to the police, the suspects' tracks were pursued for a distance of 60 km up to a water point where Rhinos mostly feed on small shrubs.

Large-scale commercial operators are evading Liberian forestry regulations by illegally processing wood destined for export on-site in forests. Timber milled in forests with chainsaws is legally restricted to the production of boards by artisanal loggers for sale on the domestic market, but reporting by Liberian newspaper. The Daylight and research by U.S.-based NGO Forest Trends has found large-scale operators producing thicker blocks of high-value wood for export.

Police and wildlife department officials in Malawi have arrested two men suspected of having killed an elephant in Kasungu National Park in the country's west.

The Anti-poaching unit of the Environment Ministry, together with other law enforcement agencies, has arrested two suspected poachers and is tracking four others who are suspected to be moving in the area between Omuthiya and Oshivelo in the Oshikoto Region. This follows after two rhino carcasses were discovered in the Etosha National Park recently. Four rhino horns and firearms were confiscated when two suspects, aged 31 and 44, were arrested on Sunday.

A man has been arrested for contravening Act 04/1975, Section 30, related to the hunting of huntable game at Farm Hamis in the Khomas region. According to the police weekend report, it is alleged that two suspects entered Farm Hamis and shot a kudu bull without permission. The farm workers heard the gunshot and responded by alerting the Namibian police, who acted promptly and arrested one of the suspected poachers. The second suspect fled the scene with the hunting rifle and has not yet been apprehended. The kudu carcass was recovered and valued at N$6,000.

The Namibian police in the Otjozondjupa Region have arrested two suspected illegal hunters, thanks to a rental vehicle that exposed their whereabouts. The two suspects, aged 23 and 46, were found in possession of an unlicensed firearm as well as carcasses of two kudu bulls, two waterbucks, and an oryx, with an estimated total value of N$35,000. According to the police, the illegal hunting was uncovered accidentally through a rental vehicle they were travelling in.

Alert farmworkers at Farm Eden, one of the most remote but iconic farms in the Otjozondjupa Region, prevented rhino poaching in the area, subsequently leading to the arrest of three suspected poachers.

Another case of dealing in controlled wildlife products has been reported in Kavango West, involving a 29-year-old man who was found with two pangolin skins on Tuesday. This comes after two men, aged 36 and 44, were arrested for being in possession of a live pangolin in Kakoro village recently. NamPol spokesperson Inspector Raimbert Muronga said that the 29-year-old suspect was arrested around 13:00 in Nkurenkuru town.

Two men, aged 36 and 44, were arrested after being found in possession of a live pangolin in Kakoro village, Kavango West. NamPol Head of Media, Chief Inspector Elifas Kuwinga, reported that the arrests occurred on Sunday around 16:00. Both suspects are Namibian nationals. "They were apprehended after being discovered in possession of a live pangolin valued at N$50 000 during a police operation," he said. Kuwinga said that the duo is facing charges related to dealing with and possessing controlled wildlife products.

Meanwhile, the police at Outjo in the Kunene region arrested a 28-year-old suspect while he was transporting a rhinohorn on Friday evening. He was apprehended when the police stopped and searched the vehicle he was traveling inbetween Outjo and Okaukuejo. The rhino horn’s estimated value is N$300,000.

Shifeta said that Namibia still experiences illegal hunting of rhinos as well as illegal trade in rhino horns. "The greatest threat to the rhino population is illegal hunting. This year, (39) rhinos have been poached in Namibia, compared to (92) in 2022, (50) in 2021, (47) in 2020, and (61) in 2019," Shifeta said. 

A 62-year-old pensioner man was arrested for shooting a Duiker and monitor lizard worth N$23 400. The incident occurred at farm 39 in Mangetti Cattle Range, Kavango West.

A case of hunting of specially protected game without a permit is being investigated by the police in Otjozondjupa after a carcass of a female black Rhinoceros was found at a water hole.