On 14-16 February 2024, the Environmental Forensic Sciences Centre in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic organized a seminar aimed at familiarizing the participants with various forms of illegal handling of carnivores (exotic and native species), case experiences, current news, legislation, etc.
The seminar was intended for employees of state bodies involved in law enforcement, i.e. the Police, the Customs Administration, the Czech Environmental Inspectorate, prosecutors and judges dealing with wildlife crime. Representatives of other organisations such as the Ministry of the Environment, the Agency for Nature and Landscape Protection and others were also invited. 150 people attended.
The seminar included a session on the possibilities of forensic evidence (species determination, possibilities of age and origin determination, etc.), where the results of the project in the morphological part and stable isotopes part were presented. Another topic was the conservation of wild populations in the Czech Republic and related problems.
The information gained from the 29 lectures certainly contributed to a deeper understanding of the specific part of the wildlife crime issue, but equally important was the opportunity to meet colleagues and exchange experiences.
This workshop was organised within the project “Effective use of forensic evidence methods to combat wildlife crime” which was supported by the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic from the Programme Strategic support for the development of security research 2019-2025 (IMPAKT 1), project number VJ01010026.