Understanding the Damages of Environmental Crime

Review of the availability of data

Publication

Citation

Farmer, Andrew, Lucas Porsch, Anna Rita Germani, Niels Philipsen, Stephanie Newman, Emma Watkins, Filippo Reganati, et al. "Understanding the Damages of Environmental Crime". Report in the framework of the EFFACE research project. Berlin: Ecologic Institute, 2014.

Farmer, Andrew. "Qualitative and monetary analysis of the impacts of environmental crime: Overview". Study in the framework of the EFFACE research project. London: Institute for European Environmental Policy, 2015.

An important part of the work for the "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE) project, coordinated by Ecologic Institute, is the analysis of the costs and impacts of environmental crime. The work includes the collection and analysis of data and information on the extent and the impacts of environmental crime and attempts to estimate the economic costs of the different types of environmental crime. The report "Understanding the Damages of Environmental Crime" is available for download.

Review of available data

The first report, Understanding the damages of environmental crime: Review of the availability of data [pdf, 1.1 MB, English], reviews the availability of data on the impacts of environmental crime. Data sources for different types of environmental crime were evaluated in relation to information on the social, economic and political impacts of environmental crime. The following types of of environmental crime were considered: soil, Waste (landfills and dumping), illegal waste shipment from Europe, pollution incidents, fisheries, CITES, protected areas, illegal trade in chemicals, fires and marine crimes. The report concludes that gathering accurate and substantial data is highly difficult and problematic for most of the areas covered. Ecologic Institute reviewed data sources on illegal wildlife trade.

The data sources reviewed are described in an annex [pdf, 3.2 MB, English] to the above report.

Quantifying impacts?

Subsequently, some types of environmental for which sufficient data existed were selected for an in-depth analysis, with the aim of quantifying their impacts:

The results are summarised in the report "Qualitative and monetary analysis of the impacts of environmental crime: Overview [pdf, 8.2 MB, English]. The research identified examples of information that can be used to understand impacts of environmental crime. Most useful are good, coherent databases with information about the scale of illegal events, and the linking of good data from different sources. For example, existing data on illegal elephant and rhino poaching and on population changes, enables conclusions to be drawn on how the criminal activity is affecting populations in the wild.

Data from different types of sources can help paint a picture of different types of impacts. The economic analysis conducted in EFFACE does not provide a total value for the impact of the type of environmental crime covered, but economic values for specific impacts. Ecologic Institute conducted the analysis on illegal wildlife trade in rhino, elephant and Horsfieldii tortoise.

European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE): Costs and Impacts of Environmental Crime

Fighting Environmental Crime in Europe and Beyond

The Role of the EU and Its Member States

Year 2017

Publication:Report

The final synthesis of the 40 month long EFFACE research project is now available. The report is addressed at decision-makers and presents core findings from the EFFACE project in an accessible language. The final synthesis is available for download.

Environmental Crime and the EU: Synthesis

Synthesis of the Research Project "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE)

Year 2016

Publication:Report

A new report presents the conclusions and policy recommendations of the EU-funded research project, "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE). The report includes recommendations for action to better combat environmental crime at the EU and Member State level, distinguishing between core and supplementary recommendations. In addition to these recommendations, questions for further research are identified. The report is available for download.

European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE): Conclusions and Recommendations

on fighting environmental crime more effectively

Year 2016

Event:Conference

The final conference of the EU-funded research project "European Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE) took place on 17 and 18 February 2016 in Brussels. More than 100 participants attended the conference - including representatives of EU institutions, national environmental authorities, police, civil society as well as academic experts on the topic from the EU and beyond. 

Combatting Environmental Crime: Priorities and Opportunities for further EU Action

17 - 18 February 2016
Brussels, Belgium

Publication:Website

The EU research project EFFACE assesses the impacts of environmental crime as well as effective and feasible policy options for combatting it, with a focus on the EU. Ecologic Institute designed and developed the EFFACE website which provides an overview of the project objectives, structure and partners as well as events. Furthermore the website provides links to the project findings, publications and policy briefs and hosts the EFFACE Newsletter. An internal area supports the coordination of the project work that involves 11 European universities and think tanks.

European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE)

Year 2012

Presentation:Speech

What do we know about the effectiveness of legislation to combat environmental crime within the EU and its Member States? And how can we measure its effectiveness? These were the two core questions that Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow in Ecologic's Legal Team, addressed in a presentation at the conference of the European Environmental Law Forum in September 2015 in Aix-en-Provence. The presentation is available for download.

The Effectiveness of the EU's Legislative Framework on Environmental Crime

3 September 2015
Dr. Christiane Gerstetter

Presentation:Speech

In this presentation, Grazia Maria Vagliasindi, University of Catania, and Christiane Gerstetter, Ecologic Institute, presented the results of the EU-funded research project "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE) to an audience of criminologists and police officers. The presentation is available for download.

(Preliminary) Results of the EFFACE Research Project

9 September 2015
Dr. Christiane Gerstetter

Event:Workshop

An important part of the research project "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE), which is coordinated by Ecologic Institute, is a series of workshops. They served both to present results of the research project and to invite feedback from academic experts, policy-makers and practitioners. Summaries of the workshops are available for download.

EFFACE Workshops on Environmental Crime

21 January 2014 - 22 October 2015
Berlin, Catania, Brussels, Granada, Den Haag, London

Presentation:Speech

Christoph Stefes, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, presented during the one-day workshop "Making a case against environmental crime" his case study on environmental crime in the mining sector of the Republic of Armenia. The case study looks at the causes of environmental crime in Armenia, taking the mining sector as an example. It describes measures that the European Union could take to contribute to preventing future environmental crime in the country. The case study is available for download.

EFFACE Case Study Presentation "Environmental Crime in Armenia"

25 March 2015
Prof. Christoph H. Stefes, PhD

Language: English
Authorship: Lucas Porsch

Andrea Illes (IEEP)

Stephanie Newman (IEEP)

Emma Watkins (IEEP)

Andrew Farmer (IEEP)

Anna Rita Germani (University of Rome)

Filippo Reganati (University of Rome)

Cesare Imbriani (University of Rome)

Piergiuseppe Morone (University of Rome)

Annalisa Lucifora (University of Catania)

Floriana Bianco (University of Catania)

Niels Philipsen (University of Maastricht)

Katarina Kubovicova (University of Maastricht)

Andrea Rigamonti (University of Maastricht)

Michael Faure (University of Maastricht)
Funding: European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), International
Year: 2014
Dimension: 55 pp.
Project: European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE)
Project ID: 2720
Table of contents: Click to show full table of contents

1 Introduction
1.1 The scope of Task 1 of Efface WP3
1.2 Methodology
2 Results
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Soils
2.3 Waste: landfills and dumping
2.4 Illegal waste shipment from Europe
2.5 Pollution incidents
2.6 Fisheries
2.7 CITES
2.8 Protected Areas
2.9 Illegal trade in chemicals
2.10 Fires
2.11 Marine
2.12 Timber
3 Conclusions
Keywords: Biodiversity

EU

Trade

Environmental crime, costs, impacts, data, information, soil, waste, landfills, waste dumping, illegal waste shipment, pollution, fisheries, CITES, protected areas, illegal trade, chemicals, fires, marine

international, EU

Further Links

Project website: European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE)

ProjectFP 7European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE)

The interdisciplinary research project "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE) assessed the impacts of environmental crime as well as effective and feasible policy options for combatting it, with a focus on the EU. The project was funded under the... Read more

European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE)

Duration: Dec 2012 - Mar 2016
Funding: European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), International

PublicationReportResearch on Actors, Institutions and Instruments Relevant for Fighting Environmental Crime

One facet of the "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE) project, coordinated by Ecologic Institute, is research on the instruments, actors, and institutions involved in the fight against environmental crime. The overall work consists of a main... Read more

Faure, Michael G., Christiane Gerstetter, Stephan Sina and Grazia Maria Vagliasindi. "Instruments, Actors and Institutions in the Fight Against Environmental Crime." Study in the framework of the EFFACE research project. Berlin: Ecologic Institute, 2015.

PublicationCase StudyEuropean Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE): Case Studies on Environmental Crime

EFFACE partners have compiled twelve case studies on different types of environmental crime. The purpose of conducting these case studies was to identify the mechanisms and impacts of different types of environmental crime within and outside of the European Union and... Read more

European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE) 2012-2016: Case Studies on Environmental Crime.

PublicationReportEvaluation of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats and Opportunities Associated with EU Efforts to Combat Environmental Crime

One of the main outcomes of the EU-funded FP7 project "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE) is the report 'Evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities (SWOT) associated with EU efforts to combat environmental crime'. This... Read more

Farmer, A. (Ed.) (2015). Evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities (SWOT) associated with EU efforts to combat environmental crime. Study in the framework of the EFFACE research project.

PublicationReportEuropean Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE): Conclusions and Recommendations

Faure, Michael; Niels Philipsen; Teresa Fajardo del Castillo et. al. (2016): Conclusions and Recommendations. Study in the framework of the EFFACE research project.

PublicationReportEnvironmental Crime and the EU: Synthesis

Gerstetter, Christiane, Christoph Stefes, Andrew Farmer, Michael G. Faure, Teresa Fajardo del Castillo, Katharina Klaas, Mitsilegas Valsamis, et al. "Environmental Crime and the EU: Synthesis of the Research Project 'European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime' EFFACE". Report in the framework of the EFFACE research project. Berlin: Ecologic Institute, 2016.

EventWorkshopEFFACE Workshops on Environmental Crime

Workshop:EFFACE Workshops on Environmental Crime

Date: 21 January 2014 - 22 October 2015
Location: Berlin, Catania, Brussels, Granada, Den Haag, London

NewsEFFACE Policy Briefs on Environmental Crime