Illegal trade in environmentally sensitive goods

This publication reviews the evidence on the key drivers of illegal trade in environmentally sensitive goods. This includes factors such as differential costs, as well as enabling conditions such as regulatory and enforcement failures. It also provides an overview of the main economic, social and environmental impacts.

The report reviews the data collected by customs and licensing schemes for selected environmentally sensitive goods, including wildlife, fish, timber, ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and hazardous waste. It examines the extent to which this information can be used to identify and measure illegal trade.

In this publication the role of national and international policy mechanisms to reduce illegal trade flows is assessed, with a focus on international licensing schemes (and associated trade restrictions). These are designed to allow importing countries to distinguish between legal and illegal products. In addition, the role of national environmental policy measures on illegal trade is assessed, focussing on property rights-based systems and economic incentives.