Last week, on 27 March 2025 a pivotal meeting took place in Romania between VCF and Romanian Ministry of Environment, Water, and Forests, as part of the WildLIFE Crime Academy. WildLIFE Crime Academy is a new pioneering project dedicated to combating wildlife crime through improving law enforcement, international collaboration, and capacity-building.
The Romanian Ministry is one of the partners in the project and their strong commitment is a crucial step toward protecting Romania’s rich biodiversity by addressing illegal activities that threaten wildlife.
Why Romania?
Romania stands out in Europe due to its extensive natural ecosystems. Nearly half of the country is covered by natural and semi-natural landscapes, including some of the continent’s last remaining undisturbed forests. It is also home to one-third of the European brown bear population, highlighting the country’s significance in European biodiversity conservation.
Creating a safe ground for vulture reintroduction projects
Implementing the Wildlife Crime project in Romania is also a crucial step toward future vulture recovery projects. Vultures remain highly vulnerable to illegal poisoning, poaching, and habitat loss, which are often driven by weak enforcement and unregulated activities. By strengthening wildlife crime investigations and enforcement, we can protect existing biodiversity and lay the necessary groundwork for successful vulture reintroduction in the years to come.
Next steps
Following this meeting, the focus will be on practical implementation. Training sessions will be conducted for field officers and legal experts, ensuring that the new protocols are effectively enforced. Additionally, Romania’s national roadmap for combating wildlife crime will be refined and integrated with broader European conservation efforts.
By addressing wildlife crime through structured training and legal frameworks, Romania is setting an example for other countries.
Big thank you to Marisanda Pîrîianu and the Romanian Ministry of Environment, Water, and Forests for the collaboration and your commitment to stop wildlife crime.
WildLIFE Crime Academy
Funded by the EU’s LIFE Programme, the Vulture Conservation Foundation, and key international partners, the WildLIFE Crime Academy is a five-year initiative aimed at strengthening law enforcement, enhancing international cooperation, and building capacity to combat wildlife crime in Portugal, Slovenia, Romania, Montenegro, Morrocco, Tunisia, Egypt, North Cyprus and Georgia.
Project partners are the Vulture Conservation Foundation as the coordinating beneficiary, and the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests (MMEDIU), DOPPS BirdLife Slovenia, Centar za zaštitu i proučavanje ptica (CZIP), and Taskent Doga Parki (Taskent Nature Park) TNP as associated beneficiaries.
Through a series of specialized training programmes, knowledge-exchange workshops, and collaborative efforts with governmental authorities, NGOs, and forensic experts, the project seeks to improve investigation and prosecution processes for wildlife crime. By equipping enforcement agencies with the necessary skills and tools, the WildLIFE Crime Academy is taking decisive steps to protect threatened species and dismantle the networks driving illegal wildlife trafficking.
