Targeting Natural Resource Corruption

From 2018 - 2024, the USAID-funded Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project worked to improve #biodiversity outcomes by equipping conservation and natural resource management practitioners to better address the threats posed by #corruption to #wildlife, #fisheries, and #forests. The project (1) delivered knowledge and tools to strengthen #conservation programming, (2) shed light on lessons from #anticorruption efforts around the world, and (3) connected the conservation and anti-corruption communities to advance this crucial work. 🔍 This final report summarizes core strategies, activities, and outputs from the project, including lessons from its implementation and the paths forward that our community can take to sustain momentum and strengthen will to integrate anti-corruption in global conservation and natural resource management. 👉 Read the report: https://lnkd.in/eUbzR2P8 ➡ What's next?  While the project has ended, this work is just beginning. We encourage you to continue accessing the Knowledge Hub (https://lnkd.in/eJDFfjmK) as you evaluate corruption risks in your context and integrate anti-corruption into your conservation work. Stay connected with global experts on your journey by joining a Countering Environmental Corruption Practitioners Forum working group today (https://lnkd.in/enzVYUXg).

🌿 Nature-based Solutions (#NbS) leverage #nature's power to protect, restore, conserve, sustainably use, and manage #ecosystems, and must provide human well-being and biodiversity benefits. However, there are examples of #conservation projects that have underdelivered benefits or even negatively impacted affected communities. As interest in NbS rises, it's crucial for everyone involved, from funders to conservation practitioners, to address the risks of #corruption and ensure that these activities benefit the people who live, work, and depend on nature. This blog shares insights into World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) proposed integrity principles for NbS benefit sharing which serve as ethical guidelines when engaging in this type of work: https://lnkd.in/eJqThSRR. Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read WWF's NbS guides: 📌 Who reaps the benefits? Integrity principles for benefit sharing in forest NbS for climate mitigation: https://lnkd.in/e7ftJtQP 📌 Operational considerations for the integrity principles for benefit-sharing mechanisms in nature-based solutions: https://lnkd.in/e2B6FvYW

Practical and actionable information about #corruption and #anticorruption is still limited, and even more for corruption’s impact on #conservation efforts. 🐟 As part of their pilot activities for the Targeting Natural Resource Corruption project, WWF Perú documented experiences and motivations regarding corruption and other vulnerabilities of the stakeholders at one stage of a #fishery value chain. 💡 This blog shares findings that could offer valuable insights to practitioners from diverse sectors aiming to reduce the negative effects of corruption on conservation outcomes. Learn about (1) cases of corruption, (2) reasons behind irregularities in departure permit processes, (3) personal experiences, and (4) innovative possible solutions like TrazApp--a digital app facilitating permit requests and increasing transparency. https://lnkd.in/eNcJ8Vkf

💡 How can a virtual #chatbot help reduce risks of #corruption in the #fishing sector? 🐟 In December 2024, WWF Peru, with support from the Targeting Natural Resource Corruption project, presented the progress of the development of "Justina del Mar," a virtual chatbot for use by artisanal fishers and shipowners in Peru. Justina provides key information on the fishing sector and the government’s complaints mechanism, thus contributing to the prevention of corruption. 👉 This blog synthesizes and shares the lessons learned from the process of creating and developing Justina: https://lnkd.in/ejQiqCk8

🐟 In September 2023, WWF Perú shared learning with the Conservation Measures Partnership on digitizing #fishing catch certificates, a crucial step in addressing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (#IUU) fishing. 🔑 Some key takeaways from their work included: - Import control systems: While requirements for exporting products to large markets, like the U.S. and the EU, have been proliferated to discourage IUU fishing, #corruption undermines the effectiveness of these systems. - WWF Peru's response: With support from the Targeting Natural Resource Corruption project, WWF Peru (1) identified the experiences of fishers and officials in cases of corruption as a baseline; (2) conducted a corruption risk assessment; and (3) developed a chatbot to connect fishers with clear information on their duties, rights, and ways to report irregularities. 💡 Learn more about this pilot project and the insights from one of the implementers: https://lnkd.in/e6J-XPCZ

In 2023, WWF Colombia, with support from the Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project, leveraged its environmental rights work to promote ratification and implementation of the regional Escazú Agreement. This unique landmark agreement is the first #environmental treaty in Latin America and the Caribbean to explicitly safeguard environmental and human rights defenders (EHRDs). Given the alarming rate of EHRD murders in Latin America, particularly in Colombia, the protections offered by the agreement are crucial. Beyond #EHRD protection, the Escazú Agreement focuses on four pillars: facilitating access to environmental information, fostering public participation in environmental decision-making, and ensuring access to justice in environmental matters. While the agreement is not an #anticorruption treaty, #corruption is closely linked to the issues the agreement seeks to address, and the four pillars contribute to anti-corruption outcomes. 👉 Read this case study to learn key takeaways from their work: https://lnkd.in/eyVRj_VC

🐟 In the #fisheries sector, a #corruption risk analysis can help identify vulnerabilities in the #supplychain, as well as improve #transparency and management. In 2023, WWF México, with support from the Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project, conducted a corruption risk analysis of one fishery to understand the type and frequency of irregular activities and identify recommendations to address them. WWF Mexico investigated some specific stages and nodes of the production chain of the red snapper fishery in the Mexican Central Pacific. Read this case study of their pilot project to learn key takeaways from their work: https://lnkd.in/e-CbJZZx

💡 How can mobilizing youth strengthen #forest #governance? 🌳 In 2023, the Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project supported WWF Nepal in some activities incorporating the lessons from their first pilot project and building on their themes. During its initial pilot from 2020-2023, WWF Nepal designed and delivered targeted capacity building for community forest user groups. This effort identified a promising, concrete opportunity for a second pilot phase: mobilizing #youth as key stakeholders in fostering effective forest governance. Read the case study to learn key takeaways from their work: https://lnkd.in/et9eXkrW

🌿 The Conservation Measures Partnership’s (CMP) “Direct Threats Classification” (https://lnkd.in/ehGzdZV9) serves as a foundational tool for collaboration across conservation fields and organizations. It offers a common framework for identifying and addressing key threats to conservation. By utilizing this classification, conservation teams can identify potential oversights in their analysis or find new approaches for action. This guide builds on the classification to highlight how corruption can manifest as an indirect threat alongside each direct threat. Similar to the Direct Threats Classification, practitioners can use this tool to uncover any corruption dynamics they may have missed in their analysis. 🔍 Explore the guide: https://lnkd.in/eD2TqzFH

💡 How can social norms and behavior change (#SNBC) approaches help practitioners prevent and mitigate #corruption in #conservation efforts? This series of four guides, developed by the Basel Institute on Governance under the Targeting Natural Resource Corruption project, offers practical guidance on the potential applications of behavioral science to enhance #anticorruption and conservation efforts. The guides explore four topics: 1. Introduction to behavioral science for addressing corruption's impact on the environment; 2. Tackling red tape to reduce bribery in the #fisheries sector 3. Collusive corruption in community-managed #forests and how it can be addressed using an SNBC approach; and 4. The challenges of corruption affecting front-line #wildlifedefenders and possible anti-corruption approaches. 👉 Read the guides: https://lnkd.in/eEpMSjbM