On the case: Identifying corruption by reviewing wildlife crime court cases in southern Africa

Corruption is a key enabler of wildlife crimes. For agencies and organizations focused on curbing the illegal wildlife trade, reviewing historical cases can be useful to establish a baseline of knowledge on court performance. Such reviews can inform the design of interventions that build the capacity of investigators, prosecutors, and the judiciary to target higher-level organizers and financiers. This practice note outlines learning from TRAFFIC's review of wildlife crime court cases in southern Africa to assess missed opportunities to identify corruption, and barriers to investigating and charging corrupt actors.