United for Wildlife
"United for Wildlife was founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in 2014. It aims to make it impossible for traffickers to transport, finance or profit from illegal wildlife products. By working collaboratively with the transport and finance sectors, building key partnerships with law enforcement and NGOs, and sharing information and best practices across the sectors, and across borders, United for Wildlife is disrupting this criminal network globally. " [1] "Prince William founded the bank-led United for Wildlife Financial Taskforce with the support of Lord Hague of Richmond. The Financial Taskforce, convened in 2018, with 30 founding financial institutions signing up to a set of commitments, known as the Mansion House Declaration." [2] David Fein, Chairman of the United for Wildlife Financial Taskforce [3]
Taskforce Members [4]
- Anil Gopaul Head: Financial Crime Intelligence and Surveillance, Absa Bank
- Che Sidanius Global Head of Financial Crime & Industry Affairs, Refinitiv
- Geraldine Fleming Head of Conservation, Investec
"Southern Africa is home to some of the world’s most iconic species, including rhinos and elephants, making it one of the largest source regions for the illegal wildlife trade (IWT.) Nevertheless, our Southern African Chapter, launched in 2020, is rising to the challenge. Local members of the Financial Taskforce, along with the South African Anti-Money Laundering Integrated Task Force (SAMLIT), are proactive at stopping and investigating wildlife crime detectable in financial systems. The Chapter also works with the regional transport sector through schemes like Project Vikela, an enhanced technology programme, which scans images in order to accurately detect rhino horns in baggage and cargo. Thanks to the Southern Africa Chapter’s hard work, multiple shipments of rhino horn were detected and stopped in December 2021."
