A Bipartisan Whistleblower Bill Targets Wildlife Crime

In a new piece for Reuters, Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto founding partner Stephen M. Kohn, a leading expert on whistleblower law, outlines the massive impact a modern whistleblower award law could have in the enforcement of wildlife crime. According to Kohn, a wildlife whistleblower award law, which has garnered bipartisan support in Congress as well as endorsements from a wide range of wildlife and whistleblower advocacy groups, is necessary “if the United States intends to be serious about protecting wildlife, prosecuting IUU fishing, and stopping illegal deforestation.”

In the piece, Kohn overviews the catastrophic impact of wildlife crime, from pushing species into extinction, destroying ecosystems, worsening the climate crisis, and undermining economies. He then explains the widespread global support for leveraging whistleblower awards to fight wildlife crime.

“Whistleblower awards have proven to be the most effective means to incentivize insiders to come forward and cooperate with authorities, allowing law enforcement to conserve resources and police crimes which are otherwise difficult to detect,” writes Kohn. He notes that while whistleblower awards provisions currently exist in the Lacey Act and Endangered Species Act, they “were passed over 40-years ago and fail to meet the standards set by modern whistleblower award laws.”

Kohn then outlines the need for a modern wildlife whistleblower award bill. He highlights the bipartisan Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act of 2021 (H.R. 6059) and examines which provisions within the bill ensure the success of a wildlife whistleblower award program.

“Whether Congress passes H.R. 6059 or uses another approach to enhance the ability of law enforcement to detect and successfully prosecute wildlife crimes, it is clear that the whistleblower provisions of the Lacey Act need to be modernized in order to become effective,” writes Kohn.