A formidable effort is needed

Environmental crime does not only hurt animals or forests. It's dangerous for humans too. Many forms of environmental crime are serious, organized and transnational, weakening the very fibre of our societies. Not only is it the world's fourth largest illegal economy, it is also growing many times faster than the legal one. Many forms of environmental crime are profit driven, no-risk, and contribute to financing terror networks, war and armed conflicts. Let's be straight: we are talking about a global security challenge.