Bureau of OES: Mapping Illicit Supply Networks to Combat Conservation Crimes at their Convergence

Deadline: 15 June 2020

The Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs’ (OES) Office of Conservation and Water (ECW) at the Department of State, announces the Notice of Funding pOpportunity (“NOFO”) for Mapping Illicit Supply Networks to Combat Conservation Crimes at their Convergence, to work with developing countries and partners to gather data and build capacity to identify, analyze, and map the illicit networks associated with conservation crimes and the areas of convergence among them.

The program will focus on resources associated with conservation crimes and inputs required for extracting these resources (specifically mercury).  The program will further focus on networks involved in the illegal taking of resources or inputs from one or more of the following countries: Peru, Colombia, Gabon, Ghana, Indonesia, and Vietnam.  The results will aim to influence national and regional policy makers and inform ongoing U.S. programs and the design and implementation of future interventions to assist developing countries in combating conservation crimes.

The project aims to identify, analyze, and map the illicit networks associated with conservation crimes and understand the links, where they may exist, between the different trafficking networks associated with conservation crimes in one or more of the eligible countries. In doing so, the project should assist these countries to combat conservation crimes and stop the illegal extraction and trade in the affected natural resources, thereby shifting illicit revenue streams away from criminal actors and directing benefits toward governments and communities.  It will map the various illicit supply networks to identify their points of convergence where actions can most effectively combat a range of conservation crimes.

OES aims to reduce conservation crimes in the eligible countries through strategic programming at the national, regional, and international levels to combat organized crime and illegal activities associated with wildlife trafficking; illegal logging and associated trade (ILAT); illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; and the illegal extraction of and trade in gold and other minerals, including precious metals and gemstones. For this funding opportunity, OES intends to focus on these resources which are taken illegally in one or more of the following counties: Peru, Colombia, Gabon, Ghana, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The project will include assistance to: 1) conduct research on the illegal extraction and trade of these resources and their movement into, within or out of the country, 2) map the illicit networks associated with these resources to identify points of convergence among these illegal activities, and 3) deliver recommendations for policy and materials to aid technical capacity development efforts to further address the aforementioned conservation crimes as a group.

Activities

PHASE I:  Scoping Conservation Crimes and Illicit Supply Networks

• • Modality: Data collection, consolidation, and analysis, primarily through desk review, of existing reports that have previously focused on conservation crimes, and other sources as applicable. Develop initial research, including field work, as appropriate.
  • Estimated Timeline: 8-10 months
• Activity 1.a – Research and Analysis: Develop partnerships to conduct research on the movement of trafficked resources into, within or from the selected country(ies).  Analyses should focus on the scale at which conservation crimes are occurring and converging in the selected country(ies), major drivers of conservation crimes, key trade routes and supply chains, as well as linkages with other criminal activities which may include trafficking in humans, drugs or other substances or weapons, document forgery, bribery and other forms of corruption, money laundering, etc.  This work should build upon and advance existing information, including reports by relevant entities that have previously focused on conservation crimes individually, in order to address conservation crimes together.
• Activity 1.b – Mapping and Other Data Visualization: Based on results in Activity 1.a, create data visualizations of findings and analysis, which may include geographic information systems (GIS) databases, to characterize illicit networks and highlight areas of convergence as described above in the illicit networks associated with conservation crimes. This shall include overlays with other relevant forms of organized criminal activity (which may include human trafficking, drug trafficking, and/or weapons trafficking) to inform the broader context of conservation crimes in the country(ies).
• Activity 1.c – Phase I Reporting and Selection of Convergence Nodes: Submit a detailed report that encompasses all of the aforementioned topics, including data-driven recommendations for select areas of deeper investigation for consideration by OES/ECW.  Results should identify “convergence nodes,” or areas of significant convergence among conservation crimes (as well as between conservation crimes and other organized criminal activities). These may include overlap in geographic location of harvest or extraction sites, patterns of corruption, modus operandi of criminal organizations trafficking in these resources, transportation routes, companies or other actors involved, etc.

PHASE II:  In-Depth Reporting and Recommendations

• Modality: Research to include primary and secondary sources, including key informant interviews and field work as appropriate
• Estimated Timeline: 12-14 months
• Activity 2.a – In-Depth Research and Case Studies: In conjunction with OES/ECW, select “convergence nodes” to focus on for in-depth research and analysis as outlined in Activity 1.c, including through primary research and field work as well as secondary sources. Develop written case studies to highlight where efforts can be leveraged across sectors to combat conservation crimes by focusing on these convergence nodes.
• Activity 2.d – Develop/Deliver Final Program Report and Recommendations: Final report preparation and delivery, which will include but is not limited to:
  • Brief summary of program work and findings
  • Updated scoping (Phase I) reporting and analysis
  • In-Depth Research and Analyses on geographic and thematic focus areas or “convergence nodes,” including a highlighted series of narrative case studies
  • Recommendations to inform current and future interventions and materials to assist developing countries combat conservation crimes at their convergence
  • In Annex:
    • Visualizations of findings and analyses, which may include maps and geographic information systems (GIS) databases and other relevant data visualization
    • Annotated source materials, etc.

Funding Information

• OES has funding available for awards of up to $493,750 USD for Mapping Illicit Supply Networks to Combat Conservation Crimes at their Convergence.
• The period of performance will be 24 months.

Expected Results

By the end of the project, the selected applicant is expected to describe the illicit networks associated with various conservation crimes and areas of convergence among the networks associated with wildlife trafficking, illegal logging, IUU fishing, and illegal mining in one or more of the eligible countries – Peru, Colombia, Gabon, Ghana, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The selected applicant is also expected to articulate the links between these illegal activities and other forms of organized criminal activities when they are known to exist (such as trafficking in humans, drugs or other substances, and weapons) in one or more of the eligible countries. The selected applicant shall investigate areas of convergence among conservation crimes and recommend areas ripe for future intervention through written reporting and data visualizations.  These areas of convergence or “convergence nodes” may reflect geography, the actors involved, connections to money laundering or financial crimes, or other shared themes. The selected applicant shall also develop materials to aid U.S. government capacity building efforts to address conservation crimes as a group in the relevant countries.

Expected Results include:

• A literature review of which resources are targeted and those that are most threatened by conservation crimes in the selected country(ies), associated drivers of the illegal trade in these resources, and possible future trends for each of the conservation crimes in the country;
• Identification, analysis, and maps of the illicit networks associated with key conservation crimes in the country;
• An understanding of links among conservation crimes, as well as between conservation crimes and organized criminal networks in the selected country(ies)
• Identification of “convergence nodes” within the illicit supply networks associated with conservation crimes in the selected country(ies), and a series of narrative case studies to illustrate these connections
• Recommendations, based on the above findings and analysis, to improve existing and inform future interventions to assist developing countries to address conservation crimes as a group; and
• Materials to aid U.S. government capacity building efforts to address conservation crimes as a group in the relevant countries

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligibility is limited to U.S. or overseas-based Non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS and U.S. or overseas private/state institutions of higher education. Due to the nature of the program goal, partnerships and consortia are encouraged where additional expertise may be required to successfully carry out award activities.

For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=326485