Environmental Crime and Illicit Financial Flows

Environmental crime is not only an environmental or conservation issue. It is also a financial crime, governance, corruption, trade, tax, customs, procurement and organised crime risk.

Criminals who exploit natural resources, protected species, minerals, forests, oceans, waste systems and environmental permits often do so for profit. These profits may move through banks, companies, suppliers, invoices, trade documents, digital payments, professional services, cash networks and cross-border structures.

This course introduces learners to the connection between environmental crime and illicit financial flows. It explains how environmental crime can generate money, value or unlawful benefit, and how that value may be moved, concealed or used through legitimate-looking systems.

Learners will explore key forms of environmental crime, including illegal wildlife trade, illegal logging, illegal mining, waste trafficking, pollution crime and fisheries crime. The course also explains how these crimes may involve false documents, corrupt facilitation, shell companies, hidden beneficial ownership, trade abuse, vague invoices, third-party payments, cash movement and professional enablers.

The course does not expect learners to prove that an environmental offence has occurred. Instead, it focuses on helping learners recognise indicators, ask the right questions, record facts, escalate concerns and support a proportionate organisational response.

Across five modules, learners will move from awareness to action. They will learn what environmental crime is, why it matters, how illicit financial flows are generated, how risks can be detected, and how organisations can respond through due diligence, monitoring, reporting, collaboration, staff awareness and control frameworks.

By the end of the course, learners should understand why environmental crime matters to financial crime risk management, recognise common indicators, understand how illicit value may move through commercial and financial systems, and know how to respond when concerns arise.

Target market

This course is suitable for organisations and professionals that may be exposed to environmental crime, illicit financial flows or related financial crime risks through customers, suppliers, transactions, trade, procurement, professional services or operational activity.

It is particularly relevant to:

• financial institutions, including banks, insurers, asset managers and other accountable institutions;

• DNFBPs, including legal practitioners, accountants, company service providers, estate agents and dealers in precious metals or stones;

• payment providers, fintechs, virtual asset service providers and online platforms;

• corporates exposed to procurement, supplier management, waste services, environmental services, mining, commodities, trade or logistics;

• importers, exporters, customs brokers, freight forwarders and logistics providers;

• compliance, anti-financial crime, legal, risk, internal audit, investigations, onboarding and transaction monitoring teams;

• procurement, finance, operations, sustainability and supplier management teams;

• regulators, supervisors, law enforcement, financial intelligence units and public sector officials; and

• senior managers and governance teams responsible for oversight, risk appetite, controls and organisational culture.

The course is especially useful for learners who do not need to become environmental crime specialists, but who need to recognise when environmental crime may create financial, commercial, legal, operational or reputational risk for their organisation.