{"id":40303,"date":"2025-06-18T15:04:07","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T12:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/?p=40303"},"modified":"2025-07-02T13:29:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T10:29:37","slug":"wildlife-crime-academy-strengthens-regional-enforcement-with-the-latest-training-of-the-third-cohort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/es\/blog\/wildlife-crime-academy-strengthens-regional-enforcement-with-the-latest-training-of-the-third-cohort\/","title":{"rendered":"Wildlife Crime Academy strengthens regional enforcement with the latest training of the third cohort"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Group
Group photo with professors and participants \u00a9 Vulture Conservation Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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As cross-border wildlife crime continues to escalate, undermining biodiversity, public health, and security, the Wildlife Crime Academy (WCA) has taken another step forward in strengthening Europe\u2019s collective response. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new group of 37 professionals from nine countries has just completed a specialized training course focused on tackling illegal wildlife killing, poisoning and trapping. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Held from 10\u201312 June 2025 at the International University of Andaluc\u00eda in La R\u00e1bida, Spain, this session marked the first training under the WildLIFE Crime Academy LIFE project (2024\u20132028) \u2014 an EU LIFE Programme initiative led by the Vulture Conservation Foundation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A proven model, scaled for regional impact <\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Wildlife Crime Academy was originally launched in 2021 under the BalkanDetox LIFE project and developed through the collaboration of the Vulture Conservation Foundation, Junta de Andaluc\u00eda, Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition (MITECO), and the Spanish Guardia Civil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Academy is built on a simple premise: empower professionals to tackle wildlife crime with the same seriousness and capacity applied to other forms of crimes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The model works \u2014 and Andalusia is living proof. Over the past two decades, the region has reduced poisoning incidents by 90%, thanks to strategic enforcement, forensic expertise, and coordinated responses. The WCA is now sharing this success with the rest of Europe and beyond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between 2021 and 2024, the WCA ran five international training courses \u2014 two Level I, two Level II and one Level III \u2014 involving 66 professionals from 13 countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, Italy, Morocco, North Macedonia, Serbia and Spain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results speak for themselves. Thanks to trained alumni leading their own national courses, over 650 additional professionals have now been trained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

New cohort, new momentum <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Theory
Theory session \u00a9 In\u0303igo Fajardo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Practical
Practical workshops \u00a9 In\u0303igo Fajardo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The most recent Level I course, titled Foundations of Forensic and Police Investigation in Wildlife Crime, trained 37 professionals, supported by various projects and collaborations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n