A collaborative model between law enforcement agencies and citizens through the use of intelligence tools to combat environmental crime
Project Title
Start Date
End Date
Project Summary
LIFE Nature Guardians (LIFE17 GIE/ES/000630) is a LIFE Information & Governance project coordinated by SEO/BirdLife (Spanish partner of BirdLife International) in partnership with SPEA (BirdLife Portugal) and the environmental law enforcement forces of Spain and Portugal (Guardia Civil SEPRONA, GNR-SEPNA), implemented between 2018 and 2023, with a total budget of approximately €1.93 million (EU contribution: €1.16 million, 60%). The project brought together citizens, wildlife and environmental activists, law enforcement agencies, and local authorities to combat environmental crimes and offences against protected species, acting across the entire chain: violation reporting, investigation, judicial prosecution, and the sanctioning phase.
Biogeographical Region
- Atlantic
- Mediterranean
Habitats Type
Categories
- Monitoring & Evaluation
- Surveillance & Control
Context
In Spain and Portugal, the effective implementation of environmental regulations was historically deficient, with a law enforcement system showing limited efficacy in tackling a wide range of environmental crimes: from pollution to anthropogenic fires, from the illegal killing of protected species to habitat destruction resulting from inadequately assessed development projects. This systemic weakness directly affected Natura 2000 network sites, where pressure from illegal activities (poaching, poisoning, unauthorised land-use changes, illegal constructions) threatened habitats and species of Community interest. An integrated approach capable of simultaneously involving citizens, NGOs, law enforcement, the judiciary, and local authorities within a single chain of intervention was missing.
Problems and Threats Faced
- Low detection rates for environmental crimes and poor investigation effectiveness, due to the lack of specialist training for law enforcement officers on specific offences (wildlife poisoning, illegal shooting, animal cruelty, illegal trade, organised crime)
- Low success rates in judicial proceedings for environmental crimes, with limited capacity within the judicial system to translate investigations into actual convictions
- Lack of a structured system for collecting and transmitting intelligence on environmental crimes, including transnational criminal networks
- Destruction of protected habitats in Natura 2000 sites through practices such as nest destruction, installation of dangerous power lines for bird life in protected areas, illegal changes in land use, and unauthorised building activities
- Absence of accessible channels for citizens to report crimes against the environment and biodiversity
- Poor understanding by institutions of the psychological and motivational causes underlying environmental offences, a factor that limited the effectiveness of purely repressive measures
Objectives and Results
- Reduce the incidence of environmental crimes in Spain and Portugal through an integrated intervention along the entire chain of law enforcement: reporting, investigation, prosecution, and sanctioning
- Train over 1,500 officers dedicated to detecting environmental crimes (Guardia Civil-SEPRONA, GNR-SEPNA, regional police forces) through a multilingual investigative manual specifically dedicated to crimes against biodiversity
- Create an Intelligence Analysis Unit (Oficina Central Nacional - OCN) for the coordination and dissemination of intelligence documents on environmental crimes, including the transnational dimension
- Establish an online channel accessible to the public for reporting crimes against the environment and biodiversity
- Develop innovative research on the psychology and motivations of environmental crime perpetrators, translating it into prevention measures based on awareness and communication
- Increase success rates in judicial proceedings by participating as a civil party in criminal cases within Spanish and Portuguese courts
- Pilot the intervention in two Natura 2000 network sites: Vegas del Ruecas, Cubilar y Moheda Alta (Spain) and Estuário do Tejo (Portugal)
Good Practice Description
The LIFE Nature Guardians project approaches crime as an integrated chain of action involving citizens, NGOs, law enforcement agencies, intelligence services and the judiciary simultaneously, thereby facilitating a model of ‘surveillance and control’ that is particularly relevant to the law enforcement aspect of managing the Natura 2000 network.
The first pillar of this project was strengthening the operational capacities of law enforcement through specialist training for over 1,500 officers (Guardia Civil-SEPRONA in Spain, GNR-SEPNA in Portugal, regional police), supported by a multilingual investigative manual dedicated to crimes against biodiversity. The manual itself summarises the project's philosophy: environmental crimes cannot be addressed in isolation, because criminal networks operate internationally, and those who fight them must do the same. This principle materialised in the creation of the Oficina Central Nacional (OCN), an intelligence analysis unit that enabled the collection and dissemination of information on environmental crimes with a strategic and transnational vision — a lasting institutional innovation well beyond the project's lifespan.
The second distinctive element is the participatory dimension: the activation of a dedicated online channel allowed citizens to report environmental crimes, generating over 1,200 requests and 681 written complaints, which in turn triggered police operations concerning poisoned baits, illegal trafficking of species and waste, and illegal water abstractions. This proves how citizen involvement can translate into concrete enforcement actions when a structured channel and a credible institutional follow-up exist.
The third pillar is particularly innovative, based on the Study on the Origin and Motivation of Environmental Crime (2023): the project recognised that investigations and judicial proceedings alone are not enough, and must be accompanied by awareness measures promoting the understanding of the causes and circumstances generating these offences. From this awareness arose a prevention campaign combining psychology and art, using murals painted in environmental crime "hotspots" - an approach that transforms prevention from an informational message into a cultural intervention on the ground. Finally, the concrete judicial impact (over 30 cases prosecuted, with SEO/BirdLife and SPEA participating as civil parties in 18 criminal proceedings) demonstrates how specialized NGOs can play an active and lasting role in enforcing Natura 2000 regulations, a model of strong interest for the surveillance and reporting role that TraiN2K envisions for its Coaches and Rangers.
Impact and Results
- An 110% increase in the detection rate of environmental crimes in Spain and 87% in Portugal, with a 35% increase in successfully concluded court proceedings in both countries
- Training of over 1,500 officers dedicated to detecting environmental crimes (Guardia Civil-SEPRONA, GNR-SEPNA, regional police forces), through a multilingual investigative manual dedicated to crimes against biodiversity
- Organisation of a two-day international training event on the motivation of environmental crime, with the participation of 1,835 people from Spain, Portugal, and numerous Latin American countries, as well as the United States and the Netherlands
- Creation of the Oficina Central Nacional (OCN), an environmental crime intelligence analysis unit, producing and distributing intelligence documents
- Publication of the Study on the Origin and Motivation of Environmental Crime (2023) and implementation of a prevention campaign based on murals in critical crime locations
- Participation as a civil party in 18 criminal proceedings for environmental crimes in Spanish and Portuguese courts, with over 30 cases prosecuted in total (illegal hunting, poisoning, corrupt administrative practices, habitat destruction, illegal installation of power lines in protected areas, illegal land-use changes, unauthorised constructions in Natura 2000 sites)
- Activation of an online citizen reporting channel, with over 1,200 requests and 681 written complaints leading to nine police operations in Spain on poisoned baits, species and waste trafficking, and illegal water abstractions
- Nearly 50,000 reports issued for illegal waste dumping, 22,541 environmental crimes detected (of which 18,365 were resolved), and nearly 14,000 people arrested or investigated
- Winner of the LIFE Citizens' Prize 2024 and finalist at the Natura 2000 Awards 2024
