CITIES AND REGIONS UNITED FOR BIODIVERSITY
Coalition Against Illicit Economies
Environmental crime is on the rise around the world, particularly in Africa, South America and Asia, where it has become one of the most profitable activities within local economies.
These crimes are particularly hard to prevent and control due to weak regulations, poor enforcement, limited technical capacity to monitor illegal activities and the complex networks behind these criminal enterprises. As a result, countries rich in natural resources are suffering increasingly severe economic, social and environmental damage.
In response to this growing threat and the serious consequences for ecosystems and communities, a new international cooperation strategy has been proposed to unite transnational efforts.
The Coalition Against Illegal Economies is an inter-institutional platform that brings together a diverse range of actors across countries and sectors. Its goal is to foster continuous learning and the exchange of knowledge, tools and best practices, with an innovative approach to tackling environmental crime.
At the heart of the Coalition are local mayors, as the leaders responsible for implementing policies tailored to their territories, mobilizing teams and coordinating resources.
They play a key role in facilitating dialogue with their counterparts and with national and international stakeholders. Mayors are on the front lines, seeing first-hand the devastating effects on nature and communities.
The Coalition recognizes the central role of mayors and their teams in fighting criminal economies and aims to support them more effectively by providing platforms to share experiences, address challenges and discuss lessons learned.
Beyond creating a network of solidarity, the Coalition will offer training and capacity-building programmes.
The Coalition was officially launched at the Summit for Subnational Governments and Cities held during the UN Biodiversity Conference in Cali, Colombia, in October 2024.
The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime will serve as the Coalition’s technical secretariat, coordinating knowledge exchange, identifying priority training topics and strengthening governance across the network.
Member cities and regions
CHAIR
Cali, Colombia
Mayor: Alejandro Eder
Main environmental challenge: Pressure from illegal mining in buffer zones (forests/hills), urban waste management/illegal dumping, moderate risk of wildlife trafficking.
VICE-CHAIR
Mykolaiv, Ukraine
Mayor: Oleksandr Syenkevych
Main environmental challenge: Pollution/waste from war infrastructure and industrial waste; species trafficking is less frequently cited, but waste management is critical.
Guayaquil,
Ecuador
Mayor: Aquiles Álvarez Henríquez
Main environmental challenge: Major challenge with trafficking/improper disposal of solid waste, clandestine dumps; risk scenario for illegal wildlife transit due to the port’s location.
Quito,
Ecuador
Mayor: Pabel Muñoz
Main environmental challenge: Pressure from illegal mining on the Chocó Andino Biosphere Reserve (declared free of metallic mining through a popular referendum in 2023), deforestation of forests and páramo ecosystems driven by urban expansion, and the risk of wildlife trafficking due to its role as an urban and transit hub.
Panama City, Panama
Mayor: Mayer Mizrachi Matalon
Main environmental challenge: High risk of wildlife trafficking due to its role as a logistics hub; also transit/entry of illegal waste through the port.
Limón,
Panama
Mayor: Ana Matarrita McCalla
Main environmental challenge: Trafficking of coastal/marine species; arrival of marine debris and challenges in waste management along the Caribbean coast.
Cuenca,
Ecuador
Mayor: Cristian Zamora Matute
Main environmental challenge: Urban waste management; in rural areas of the province, mining pressure and dumping affecting moorlands and watersheds.
Colón,
Panama
Mayor: Diógenes Galván
Main environmental challenge: High risk of waste and species trafficking due to its status as a port and free trade zone; port waste management as a key challenge.
Quibdó,
Colombia
Mayor: Rafael Andrés Bolaños Pino
Main environmental challenge: Illegal mining (gold, other minerals) severely impacts rivers and forests; trafficking of species also high due to biodiversity; in addition, waste and dumping in rural areas.
Belém,
Brazil
Mayor: Igor Normando
Main environmental challenge: Illegal mining (garimpo) in Amazonian rivers; trafficking of species due to proximity to the Amazon rainforest; transit of waste/port logistics effects as a factor.
Manta,
Ecuador
Mayor: Marciana Valdiviezo
Main environmental challenge: Trafficking of port waste; risk of illegal fishing/trafficking of marine species; urban and port waste management.
Valle del Cauca,
Colombia
Governor: Dilian Francisca Toro Torres
Main environmental challenge: Illegal mining in rural and border areas; waste management/final disposal; trafficking of species in areas of high biodiversity.
Buenaventura, Colombia
Mayor: Ligia del Carmen Córdoba Martínez
Main environmental challenge: Illegal mining financed by armed groups and criminal networks. These operations cause deforestation, sedimentation, and mercury pollution, seriously affecting water quality and coastal ecosystems.
Province of Maynas, Peru
Mayor: Paola Estefanía Bances Chávez
Main environmental challenge: Illegal gold mining in the Nanay and Napo river basins (the main source of drinking water for Iquitos), linked to deforestation, mercury contamination and, increasingly, proximity to drug-trafficking economies.
Općina Stari Grad Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mayor: Irfan Čengić
Main environmental challenge: Illegal construction and forest clearing on the protected slopes of Mount Trebević (a protected landscape since 1953), reducing the forest cover that helps protect against landslides and contributing to Sarajevo’s already severe winter air pollution.
News
Resilient Cities Webinar
On 29 July, Felipe Botero, Technical Secretary of the Coalition of Cities and Regions United for Biodiversity, participated in the webinar Governance Under Pressure: Security, Fragility, and Urban Resilience, organized by Resilient Cities. Mauricio Mina, from the Mayor’s Office of Santiago de Cali, also participated in the panel. The webinar provided a valuable opportunity to discuss environmental crimes, governance gaps and local responses. The Coalition was highlighted as an evidence-based initiative that seeks to strengthen collective action among subnational governments directly facing the consequences of environmental crimes.
Capacity building: Illegal logging
The Coalition of Cities and Regions United for Biodiversity held a capacity-building seminar on illegal logging, in collaboration with Proética – the Peruvian Chapter of Transparency International.
Drawing on Peru’s experience, representatives from member cities and regions explored how illegal logging is linked to corruption, illegal mining, land trafficking and other illicit markets, as well as the critical role of local governments in preventing environmental crime. The session also addressed the importance of traceability, transparency and institutional coordination in preventing illegally sourced timber from entering formal markets.
Interested in watching the seminar? Contact us with your details, and we will send you the link to the recording.
Partner organizations
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