This introductory guide for the Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project:
- outlines the impact of illicit financial flows on conservation goals;
- explains approaches that can help conservation and natural resource management practitioners to strengthen their programming and related responses;
- offers guidance on risks and constraints to such financial approaches.
It leads the Illicit Financial Flows topic page of the TNRC Knowledge Hub and is designed to help practitioners find relevant resources.
The key takeaways are:
- Understanding the financial aspects of natural resource crimes and corruption can reveal opportunities to reduce the incentives to illegally exploit and trade in natural resources, as well as to strengthen law enforcement against those who profit from environmental destruction.
- Targeting the financial aspects of natural resource crimes, especially where money crosses borders, can help to identify and break up corrupt and criminal networks and lead to the recovery of illicit proceeds.
- "Follow the money” approaches vary according to context, but generally require multi-stakeholder and cross-sector collaboration and information sharing.
The Basel Institute’s Green Corruption team developed the guide in collaboration with TNRC consortium partners and external experts.
Published
10/2022 (3 years ago)
Links
Related publications
Report
Corruption risks in the forestry sector in Ukraine
2025 | National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) of Ukraine
corruption risksforestrytransparencytimber trafficking
Working paper
Working Paper 53: Good governance and the just transition: Implications for renewable energy companies
2024 | Basel Institute on Governance
Maja de Vibe, Mark Robinson
Guidelines
Guías de orientación práctica: las ciencias del comportamiento en esfuerzos de conservación
2024 |
Claudia Baez Camargo
Guidelines
Designing social norms and behavior change interventions: Guidance resources for conservation practitioners
2024 |
Claudia Baez Camargo
Working paper
(Forthcoming) Working Paper 50: Seedlings of hope: Addressing corruption linked to crimes that impact the environment in line with UNCAC Resolution 8/12
2023 | Basel Institute on Governance
Sophie Lemaître
Working paper
(Forthcoming) Working Paper 49: Dirty deals – Case studies on corruption in waste management and trade
2023 | Basel Institute on Governance
Nancy Isarin, Claudia Baez Camargo, Amanda Cabrejo
waste managementillegal waste tradeBasel Convention
Guidelines
Translating political economy insights into conservation practice: a six-step guide
2023 | Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project
Micol Martini, Saba Kassa
Guidelines
Conflict of interest guidelines for Indonesian public institutions (Pedoman tentang Konflik Kepentingan)
2023 |
Niels Wohlwend, Lakso Anindito, Justin Snyder
Research case study
Research case study 4: Deconstructing a criminal network involved in illegal wildlife trade between East Africa and Southeast Asia
2023 | Basel Institute on Governance
Jacopo Costa
social network analysisnetwork ethnographyillegal wildlife tradeinformal governanceEast AfricaSoutheast Asia
Guidelines
Guide to strengthening internal controls to prevent corruption in illegal wildlife trade enforcement
2023 | Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project
Rebecca Batts
internal controls
Article
Guide to conducting corruption risk assessments in a wildlife law enforcement context
2023 | Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project
corruption risk assessment
Working paper
How corruption threatens the forests of Ukraine: Typology and case studies on corruption and illegal logging.
2023 | Basel Institute on Governance
Yehor Hrynyk, Andrii Biletskyi, Amanda Cabrejo
Article
Internal controls and illegal wildlife trade: A systemic approach to corruption prevention and law enforcement integrity
2023 | Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project
Rebecca Batts
Article
Law enforcement, criminal justice and natural resource corruption - a TNRC guide
2022 | Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project
law enforcementcriminal justice systemconservationnatural resource corruptionenvironmental corruption
How political economy analysis can support corruption risk assessments to strengthen law enforcement against wildlife crimes
2022 | Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project
Saba Kassa, Jacopo Costa, Cosimo Stahl, Claudia Baez Camargo
Report
Basel Gold Day II: Recycled Gold – From awareness to collective action on recycled gold and artisanal mining
2022 | Office Pieth; Precious Metals Impact Forum
gold laundering
Article
Illicit financial flows and natural resource corruption - a TNRC guide
2022 | Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project
illicit financial flowsconservationfollow the moneynatural resource corruptionenvironmental corruption
Policy brief
Policy Brief 10: Using anti-money laundering frameworks to fight illegal wildlife trade in Uganda
2022 | Basel Institute on Governance
Tom Walugembe
illegal wildlife tradeAnti-money launderinglaw enforcementfinancial investigationsEast Africawildlife crimeprosecution
Article, Commissioned study
Working Paper 39: Behavioural drivers of corruption facilitating illegal wildlife trade – Problem analysis and state of the field review
2022 | Basel Institute on Governance; TRAFFIC
Claudia Baez Camargo, Gayle Burgess
natural resource managementillegal wildlife tradesocial normsbehavioural insights
Article, Commissioned study
Where are the weakest links in the illegal wildlife trade enforcement chain? Lessons from corruption risk assessments with agencies in three countries
2022 | Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project
Manuel Medina, Juhani Grossmann, Taradhinta Suryandari, Monica Guy
corruption risk assessmentillegal wildlife tradewildlife crimelaw enforcementcorruption risk management