Justin Gosling has worked in enforcement for 21 years and specialises in environmental crime. A former British police detective and INTERPOL intelligence officer, he worked as a Senior Investigator for EIA from 2006, conducting investigations into the ivory and tiger trade in Africa and Asia
I used to joke with my friends that EIA were the James Bonds of the environmental movement. Having become more acquainted with the work done here, this is no longer a joke – those who work here are consistently impressive and I’m constantly in awe of those who’ll go head to head with criminals
Rhino populations are being hammered by poachers, pushing the species ever-closer to extinction to satisfy demand for rhino horn in Vietnam and elsewhere – yet despite 668 rhinos being slaughtered by poachers across South Africa in 2012, there are indications it is contemplating pushing for a legal trade in rhino horn
If 2012 has shown anything, it’s that we’re still small and that our concise reports anchored in hard documentary evidence – often obtained undercover in potentially dangerous circumstances – continue to give us the clout to punch well above our weight
With the holiday season in full swing and 2013 just a matter of days away, on behalf of everybody here at EIA I’d like to wish all of our supporters in the UK and around the world season’s greetings and all best wishes for a peaceful New Year
Tanzania’s hardly been out of the headlines since quietly slipping in an application earlier this month to reduce international protection for its elephant populations and auction off 101 tonnes of stockpiled ivory