Combating
Environmental Crimes

Grace Farms Foundation works with partners across the globe to disrupt environmental crimes ranging from wildlife trafficking, to ivory poaching, to illegal logging. To accomplish this mission, we leverage the expertise of law enforcement, academia, and governments to facilitate capacity building, training, and awareness efforts to:

- Develop strategic partnerships among key cross-sector stakeholders.
- Increase collaboration between law enforcement agencies and national governments.
- Improve methods and provide transparency around best practices in combating environmental crime.
- Enhance intelligence sharing and interagency cooperation.

Programs & Highlights

Reducing Maritime Trafficking of Wildlife between Africa and Asia | Advanced Training | Entebbe, Uganda

February 6 – 11, 2023 | A Multi-Agency Financial Capacity Building to adopt innovative investigative and scientific approaches in combating Wildlife Trafficking and its illicit supply chain in Africa and Asia. Previous training programs were conducted in Mombasa-Kenya, Arusha-Tanzania, and Dar es Salaam-Tanzania in March 2022, May/June 2022 and August 2022 respectively. These innovative training programs, in partnership with USAID, UNDP, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/HSI, LATF, and the University of Washington, will equip participants with advanced financial crimes investigations, asset recovery modules, criminal intelligence and investigations techniques with a scientific approach. Also covering the convergence of crime, the links between the illegal logging to Human Trafficking (Forced Labor) and other crimes as well.

Thailand Maritime Stakeholder Workshop to Detect and Investigate Wildlife Trafficking in International Maritime Supply Chains | Bangkok, Thailand

December 7-8, 2022 | Implementing the newly adopted International Maritime Organization (IMO) Guidelines for the prevention and suppression of the smuggling of wildlife on ships engaged in international maritime traffic. Enhance public-private partnership to reduce and deter illegal wildlife trade in the maritime supply chain. Rod participated as a Speaker and as a Session Facilitator to over 90 participants, all working in the maritime, police, judiciary, border control, executive and military industries, and NGOs. Several countries participated in the workshop.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) | Panama City, Panama

November 14-25, 2022 | Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species of Wildlife and Flora: 19th CITES COP held in Panama where Rod Khattabi participated as an observer and as a panelist/speaker at four side events. Rod met and collaborated with member countries, law enforcement community, and NGO partners sharing the same passion in combatting the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) - Illegal Logging (Forestry Crime).

The Royal Foundation | United for Wildlife Global Summit | London, UK

October 3 & 4, 2022 | Rod Khattabi was one of 300 leading figures, welcomed by Prince William, from law enforcement agencies, conservation organizations and businesses at the summit, who are part of the worldwide United for Wildlife (UfW) network. The event was hosted by Lord Hague, Chair of The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales, who shared the stage with several international organizations innovating and adapting their work in the collective fight to end the illegal wildlife trade. The summit emphasized the important role of the private sector and collaboration across sectors.

Innovative Practices, Knowledge Exchange & Lessons Learning on Countering Illegal Wildlife Trade | Mombasa, Kenya

October 11, 2022 | UNDP conference for Global Wildlife Programme Implementation Agencies across the globe to share best practices and experiences in combating trafficking. Rod Khattabi presented on financial investigations and asset recovery.

West Africa Network to Combat Wildlife Crime (WAN) Training Workshop

October 5, 2022 | Rod Khattabi participated in the WAN training workshop for CITES Management Authority representatives and presented a class on Public-Private Sector Partnerships to CITES management authority representative from each of the ECOWAS Member States. The representatives will play an instrumental role in the success of regional and national coordination on wildlife law enforcement efforts by providing the participants with the tools and skills they need to begin preparing their countries for engagement with the WAN.

Innovations in Protecting our Global Environment and Communities

September 28, 2022 | An informative presentation and discussion on how Science and Law Enforcement collaborate in combating environmental crimes, the adaptability and the effectiveness in its implementation with panelists and subject matter experts; Robert Mande, Meredith Gore, PhD, and Sam Wasser, PhD.

Reducing Maritime Trafficking of Wildlife Between Africa and Asia

August 2-6, 2022 | Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania | Session II of collaborative USAID/UNDP/ Grace Farms Foundation /GEF/U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)/Lusaka Agreement Task Force/ University of Washington Project “Reducing Maritime Trafficking of Wildlife between Africa and Asia”

Advanced Training - Reducing Maritime Trafficking of Wildlife

May 30 – June 4, 2022 | Advanced Training - Reducing Maritime Trafficking of Wildlife between Africa and Asia| (copy) Advanced training in Arusha, Tanzania. A collaborative USAID/UNDP/Grace Farms Foundation/GEF/Department of Homeland Security, (HSI)/Lusaka Agreement Task Force/University of Washington Project “Reducing Maritime Trafficking of Wildlife between Africa and Asia”.

Organizations We Work With

Department of Homeland Security

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

The Explorers Club

International Maritime Organization (IMO)

Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF)

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

United for Wildlife

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

University of Maryland

University of Washington

World Wildlife Fund

Past Programming

February 6 – 11, 2023 | Reducing Maritime Trafficking of Wildlife between Africa and Asia | Advanced Training | Entebbe, Uganda

December 7-8, 2022 | Thailand Maritime Stakeholder Workshop to Detect and Investigate Wildlife Trafficking in International Maritime Supply Chains | Bangkok, Thailand

November 14-25, 2022 | Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) | Panama City, Panamaa

October 11, 2022 | Innovative Practices, Knowledge Exchange &

Lessons Learning on Countering Illegal Wildlife Trade | Mombasa, Kenya

October 5, 2022 | West Africa Network to Combat Wildlife Crime (WAN) Training Workshop

October 3 & 4, 2022 | The Royal Foundation | United for Wildlife Global Summit | London, UK

September 28, 2022 | Innovations in Protecting our Global Environment and Communities

August 2-6, 2022 | Reducing Maritime Trafficking of Wildlife between Africa and Asia | Tanzania

March 15 – 19, 2022 | Reducing Maritime Trafficking of Wildlife between Africa and Asia | Kenya

March 9 – 11, 2022 | 13th LATF Governing Council | Zambia

May 3 – 7, 2021 | Counter Transnational Organized Crime | Virtual Capacity Building | Brazil

April 13 -15, 2021 | United Kingdom Challenge Fund | Karingani Game Reserve | Mozambique (virtual)

March 7- 12, 2021 | 14th UN Congress on Crime Prevention & Criminal Justice | Kyoto (virtual)

February 3-7, 2020 | LATF and Uganda Wildlife Authority 3 day workshop

January 29, 2020 | Human and Wildlife Trafficking 101

July 2- 4, 2019 | Tanzania Port Stakeholder Workshop

February 24-28, 2019 | Zambia Transnational Organized Crime Workshop

September 21, 2018 | Protecting Wildlife | New Strategies to Combat Wildlife Trafficking

September 8-17, 2018 | Tanzania Special Investigation Group Training

June 22-26, 2018 | Thailand Trafficking Training

February 2-13, 2018 | Republic of Congo Training