site.btaWWF to Work with Prosecutors and Investigators against Crimes against Nature

October 29 (BTA) - Bulgaria is included in an European project, which will exercise control over crimes against nature, said WWF Bulgaria on Thursday.

In the next three years, the conservation organization will work actively to counter cooperating with prosecutors, investigators and representatives of executive agencies, the organization said.

The project is supported by the European LIFE program and is titled Successful Wildlife Crime Prosecution in Europe. It is implemented in 11 European countries: Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary, Spain, Italy, Ukraine and Poland.

Crimes against nature are the fourth most lucrative criminal activity in the world. Preceded only by drug trafficking, counterfeiting and arms smuggling, it generates 280 billion dollars a year in revenue, according to Interpol data, said the WWF Bulgaria.

The main goal is to reduce the number of illegally killed European wildlife. In addition, WWF and its partners will seek to increase the number of detected and punished crimes, as well as to strengthen cross-border cooperation, law enforcement and prosecution. RI/DT

/DT/