Nature Crime Alliance (NCA)

Damaging to both people and planet, nature crime sits at the intersection of criminal activity and environmental degradation. Ecosystems, communities, wildlife, and natural resources are all victims of this pernicious, illicit economy. Rampant nature crime also undermines climate and sustainable development goals and threatens food security. Although a wide range of efforts exist to fight the injustices and damage nature crime inflicts, these efforts are often fragmented. With the aim to create a new forum for collaborative solution-building, Meridian—in partnership with the World Resources Institute and the Food and Land Use Coalition—helped develop the Nature Crime Alliance (NCA).  

The Alliance is a multi-sector network that raises political will, mobilizes financial commitment, and bolsters operational capacity to fight nature crime. It features participants from civil society, government and law enforcement, companies and financial institutions, donors, and local communities and indigenous peoples. As coordinator and strategic advisor since 2020, Meridian played an integral role in establishing the Alliance: eliciting ideas and input from numerous experts and stakeholders; shaping the Alliance’s mission, strategic priorities, and branding; facilitating an informal advisory group of civil society leaders; designing the governance structure; and building partnerships with founding governments. Meridian currently coordinates the NCA Secretariat hosted at WRI, supporting implementation of the governance structure, and leading the Alliance’s workstream on the convergence of nature and financial crime. 

Encompassing illegal forms of logging, fishing, mining, wildlife trade, and land conversion, fulfilling the Alliance’s mission requires engaging a wide range of experts and stakeholders. Meridian is facilitating connections between communities of practice across crime types, disciplines, and sectors to raise political ambition and catalyze novel solutions, funding, and action to tackle nature crime.