By using eDNA sampling, data on local fauna and flora can be collected in an efficient and non-invasive manner.
Climate change and change in habitants have led to a decrease in butterflies.
"Operation Thunderstorm has seen significant seizures at global level, showing how coordinated global operations can maximize impact," said INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock. "Operation Thunderstorm sends a clear message to wildlife criminals that the world's law enforcement community is homing in on them."
During 2017, NOAA documented the deaths of 17 right whales within U.S. and Canadian waters. With an estimated population of only 450 right whales remaining in existence, only 25 percent identified as breeding females, the impact of these deaths is a major blow to conservation efforts and vitality of the species.
Lodu Dime, 40, had been convicted in absentia by Nepalese authorities after the seizure of wildlife products in Nepal during INTERPOL's Operation Prey IV in 2013.
The Bank of China has pledged at least 10 billion yuan, or $1.5 billion, to create an enormous panda conservation park in the Sichuan province, the forestry ministry said last week.
The waters around Easter Island are home to at least 142 endemic species, including 27 that are threatened or endangered.
Environment and Climate Change Canada's wildlife enforcement officers launched an investigation two years ago and discovered a polar bear skin rug located in Canada that had previously been exported to China. The investigation found the company on three occasions illegally exported polar bear skins to China.
Steve Martin has been executive director of the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board since 2001.
The St. Lawrence Estuary population of Beluga whales will be reclassified from threatened to endangered following a reassessment in recent years by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
With 30 years of recovery efforts having paid off, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to remove the bat from the Endangered Species Act's protections.
"The rise of environmental crime across the world is deeply troubling. The vast sums of money generated from these despicable crimes are fueling insecurity and keeping highly sophisticated international criminal gangs in business," UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said. "It is essential the world acts now to combat this growing menace before it is too late."
The White House announcement said President Obama has now protected more than 265 million acres of land and water, the most among all U.S. presidents.
Experts participating in the Security and Environmental Crime conference issued a 15-point call for action to raise awareness and encourage greater involvement by the global community.
Two new studies are highlighting the decreasing numbers of food pollinators and the increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
The event was staged to call awareness to increased poaching that is rapidly pushing populations of African elephants, rhinos, and other species toward extinction, according to the Interior Department.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that the northern long-eared bat will be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
If the remaining $300,000 is collected prior to the June 1 deadline, the preserve will be on schedule to open later this year.
Marine biologists say that at the moment, a population estimated at more than 20,000 gray whales appears to be healthy and reproducing well.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced over $45 million in funding provided through the State Wildlife Grant (SWG) program to help U.S. states protect species and habitats in greatest need.