The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) is an international NGO founded in 1984 in the United Kingdom by environmental activists Dave Currey, Jennifer Lonsdale and Allan Thornton. At present, it has offices in London and Washington, D.C. The EIA covertly investigates and campaigns against

environmental crime Environmental crime is an illegal act which directly harms the environment. These illegal activities involve the environment, wildlife, biodiversity, and natural resources. International bodies such as, G7, Interpol, European Union, United Na ...

and abuse. Its undercover investigations expose transnational wildlife crime, with a focus on

elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...

s and

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

s, and

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

crimes such as

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a p ...

and

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

for cash crops such as

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...

. It works to safeguard global marine ecosystems by addressing the threats posed by

plastic pollution Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles (e.g. plastic bottles, bags and microbeads) in the Earth's environment that adversely affects humans, wildlife and their habitat. Plastics that act as pollutants are catego ...

, by-catch and commercial exploitation of

whale Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully Aquatic animal, aquatic placental mammal, placental marine mammals. As an informal and Colloquialism, colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea ...

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...

s and

porpoise Porpoises () are small Oceanic dolphin, dolphin-like cetaceans classified under the family Phocoenidae. Although similar in appearance to dolphins, they are more closely related to narwhals and Beluga whale, belugas than to the Oceanic dolphi ...

s. It seeks to reduce the impact of climate change by campaigning to eliminate refrigerant

greenhouse gas Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the gases in the atmosphere that raise the surface temperature of planets such as the Earth. Unlike other gases, greenhouse gases absorb the radiations that a planet emits, resulting in the greenhouse effect. T ...

es, exposing related illicit trade and improving energy efficiency in the cooling sector. The EIA uses its findings in reports to campaign for new legislation, improved governance and more effective enforcement. In addition, its field experience is used to provide guidance to enforcement agencies and it also forms partnerships with local groups and activists, support their work through hands-on training.

Areas of work

Climate

The EIA's Climate work aims to tackle the pressing threat of

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

by eliminating powerful

es used widely in the cooling sector, improving energy efficiency of replacement technologies and investigating the illicit trade in refrigerant greenhouse gases. Key campaign areas include: * The Montreal Protocol from 1987, regulating

chlorofluorocarbon Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are fully or partly Halogenation, halogenated hydrocarbons that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F). They are produced as volatility (chemistry), volat ...

s, which destroy Earth's

ozone layer The ozone layer or ozone shield is a region of Earth's stratosphere that absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorbs most of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation. It contains a high concentration of ozone (O3) in relation to other parts of the a ...

. EIA was instrumental in making the case that the Protocol was the best mechanism to phase out the harmful

hydrofluorocarbon Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are synthetic organic compounds that contain fluorine and hydrogen atoms, and are the most common type of organofluorine compounds. Most are gases at room temperature and pressure. They are frequently used in air condit ...

s. This work resulted in the

Kigali Amendment The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol is an international agreement to gradually reduce the consumption and production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). It is a legally binding agreement designed to create rights and obligations in internati ...

. * EU F-Gas Regulation: EIA campaigned against industry lobbying to ensure a revision of the Fluorinated gases Regulation and as of 2018 continued to work for its effective implementation. * Energy efficiency: As of 2018 EIA campaigned to ensure cooling systems are not only HFC-free, but are as efficient as possible. * Cooling technologies: EIA campaigned to spread awareness of energy efficient climate-friendly alternatives after the phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) in developing countries.

Forests

The EIA's Forests work started in the late 1990s and aims to reduce global

by advocating improved governance and trade laws, revealing the negative impacts of cash crops such as

and exposing key criminal players in the transnational illegal trade in stolen

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

. Key campaign areas include: * Timber: EIA's investigations expose illegal logging, the illegal timber flows and the

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

which facilitates forest crime, using international laws to press for action and further reduce the scale of

. In September 2022, the New York Times reported that EIA tracked logs from ecologically significant forests to 10 pellet mills and three power plants in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Poland; about a third of wood shipments to these factories originated in protected areas like Romania's Cheile Bicazului-Hasmas National Park. * Palm oil: palm oil production is widely linked to deforestation,

human rights abuses Human rights are universally recognized moral principles or norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both national and international laws. These rights are considered inherent and inalienable, meaning t ...

and

biodiversity loss Biodiversity loss happens when plant or animal species disappear completely from Earth (extinction) or when there is a decrease or disappearance of species in a specific area. Biodiversity loss means that there is a reduction in Biodiversity, b ...

. * Rights: Illegal logging and destructive forest conversion are directly connected to corruption and crime,

cronyism Cronyism is a specific form of in-group favoritism, the spoils system practice of partiality in awarding jobs and other advantages to friends or trusted colleagues, especially in politics and between politicians and supportive organizations. ...

, curbs on transparency and accountability, selective law enforcement, elitist land tenure and compromised judiciaries, and often involve state officials and security apparatus. Limited

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.Ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...

work aims to improve the status of marine wildlife and ecosystems by reducing threats posed by

marine plastic pollution Marine plastic pollution is a type of Water pollution, marine pollution by Plastic pollution, plastics, ranging in size from large original material such as bottles and bags, down to microplastics formed from the Fragmentation (cell biology), frag ...

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juve ...

and commercial exploitation of

s and

s. Key campaign areas include: * Marine

is one of the most serious emerging threats to the health of oceans and a major hazard to marine biodiversity. EIA has worked on the issue at the UK level and internationally, campaigning both alone and in partnerships against single-use plastics such as supermarket carrier bags, microbeads in rinse-off products and other forms of damaging plastic packaging. * Fewer than 30 vaquita porpoises are believed to be left on the planet, making it the world's most endangered marine mammal – its extinction is imminent unless significant steps are taken to protect it. The vaquita is not hunted in its own right but is dying in illegal gill nets set for the totoaba fish, an endangered species whose dried swim bladder is prized in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. * The international moratorium on commercial whaling is one of the greatest conservation successes of the 20th century . EIA campaigns to keep the ban in place, to expose the exploitation of those species it does not cover and to drive action to address other threats to whales, dolphins and porpoises such plastic, chemical and noise pollution as well as industrial-scale fishing.

Wildlife

EIA's Wildlife work started in the mid-1980s and aims to reduce wildlife crime around the world, advocating the dismantling of transnational criminal networks involved in illegal trade, pressing for better legislation and the closure of key markets, advocating improved enforcement techniques and exposing transnational organized criminal networks. Key campaign areas include: *

Ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and Tooth, teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mamm ...

trade is the main culprit responsible for elephant

poaching Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the huntin ...

. For many years, EIA's investigations have revealed the extent of the problem, identifying the transnational criminal groups behind the trafficking, the corruption they drive, and have played a role in shutting down ivory trade. EIA continues to work for the closure of all domestic and international ivory markets. *

Pangolin Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota (). The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: '' Manis'', '' Phataginus'', and '' Smutsia''. ''Manis'' comprises four species found in Asia, while ' ...

s are the world's most trafficked mammal, poached for illegal trade in their scales and meat. EIA works to enhance enforcement against the organised crime groups trafficking pangolins, providing information to enforcement authorities. * EIA works for the recovery of wild tiger populations by advocating the dismantling of transnational criminal networks involved in illegal trade, such as the production of tiger bone wine pressing for better legislation and the protection of their habitat and exposing the role of tiger farming in both illegal and legal trade. * EIA has created interactive Wildlife trade maps documenting the illegal trade in certain wildlife species as an open resource.

Governance

As of 2020, EIA UK had 45 employees. EIA UK's board of Trustees included James Arrandale, Pesh Framjee,Jennifer Lonsdale (founder), Alice Railton, John Stephenson (chair), Kit Stoner, Paul Townley and Allan Thornton (founder). In 2013, Stichting EIA was incorporated in The Netherlands but remained dormant. In 2019 EIA UK decided as a consequence of

Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...

, to develop Stichting EIA as an office in the Hague focusing on EU and Dutch environmental policy issues.

''The Animal Detectives''

In 1995, Independent Television Network ( ITV) broadcast a TV series called ''The Animal Detectives'' in the UK. The series commissioned by Carlton Television was produced by Goldhawk together with Eco detectives, a company owned by directors of EIA. The series, based on EIA's undercover investigation work into the trade in endangered species, showed footage from EIA's undercover filming. The series had seven episodes, each covering a different group of animals like BEARS (01/06/1995), WHALES (25/05/1995), PARROTS (18/05/1995), WALRUS (11/05/1995), RHINOS (04/05/1995), TURTLES (30/03/1995) and MONKEYS (23/02/1995). The series won the Media Natura award for best film, the Brigitte Bardot International Genesis Award (Los Angeles), and the Gold Plaque at the Chicago Documentary Film Festival.

Reputation

In 2007, The US Environmental Protection Agency called the EIA's "investigative work, scientific documentation, and representation at international conventions ...highly effective and successful". In 2008, BBC Wildlife Magazine called EIA "a highly-respected, hard-hitting, dirt-digging organization". Earth Touch called the EIA " kind of like the FBI of environmental crime".

References

External links

* {{cite web , url = http://www.eia-international.org/ , title = Environmental Investigation Agency (UK) , access-date = 2007-06-18
Environmental Investigation Agency (US)
Nature conservation organisations based in the United Kingdom Nature conservation organizations based in the United States International environmental organizations