Historic Victory: Canada Votes YES to Launch UN Treaty Negotiations Against Environmental Crime

Great news!
we would like to Thank Everyone Who Supported Our ‘Give Wildlife Crime The Severity That It Deserves’ Campaign!

As the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC COP13) wrapped up on Friday, October 23, 2026, breakthrough news came out of UN Headquarters in Vienna: State Parties officially voted to launch negotiations for a historic, first-ever legally binding UN Protocol against Environmental Crime!

The final vote on Resolution L.4 was a decisive victory for global wildlife protection:

  • 🟢 83 IN FAVOUR (Including Canada! 🇨🇦)

  • 🔴 12 Against

  • ⚪ 27 Abstentions

This marks a monumental shift in international law. For years, transnational wildlife trafficking—a $199 billion global black market run by organized criminal syndicates—has been treated as a minor offense. World leaders have now formally recognized that environmental crime is serious, organized transnational crime, requiring coordinated global law enforcement.

Canada Shifted Its Stance – And Your Voices Helped Drive It

What began as a Canadian campaign quickly expanded into a worldwide public action initiative. Partnering with World Elephant Day (Give Wildlife Crime The Severity That It Deserves), Elephanatics scaled our outreach globally so people anywhere in the world could email our government leaders directly and demand action.

The result? Canada didn’t just vote IN FAVOUR in Vienna—the Canadian delegation delivered a strong official statement pledging support for robust international legal frameworks targeting environmental syndicates.

To every single advocate who sent a letter, shared a post, or brought this issue into their classroom: thank you. Your voice made a direct impact on Canadian foreign policy.

What Happens Next? The 2-Year Negotiation Window (2026–2028)

Winning the vote at UNTOC COP13 in Vienna opened the door for global leaders and legal experts to do what they do best.

Over the next two years, the newly established UN Ad Hoc Committee—led by key champion nations like Brazil and supported by legal experts—will draft the official treaty text ahead of COP14 in 2028.

During this technical drafting phase, international experts and coalitions will focus on:

  1. Closing Legal Loopholes: Establishing universal legal definitions, cross-border enforcement protocols, and extradition guidelines to target environmental syndicates.

  2. Amplifying Civil Society: Working with global coalitions like the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime (GIEWC) to submit expert recommendations to drafting committees.

  3. Maintaining Momentum: Encouraging participating nations to stay committed to a strict, enforceable final agreement.

How Elephanatics Will Keep You Updated

Our major public campaign drive reached its milestone victory with the Vienna vote. As diplomats and legal experts take over the technical drafting phase, Elephanatics will pivot to a monitoring, reporting, and amplifying role.

We will track the negotiation rounds, share updates from leading coalitions like GIEWC, and keep our community informed as this historic treaty takes shape between now and 2028.

How You Can Stay Involved:

  • 📧 Subscribe to Our Newsletter: Get periodic, behind-the-scenes updates as treaty negotiations progress between now and 2028.

  • 🍎 Teachers & Educators: Our UNTOC Civic Action Toolkit is still available! It serves as a real-world case study showing students how citizen engagement directly influences global policy.

  • 📲 Follow Us: Stay connected with us on social media for real-time policy alerts.

Together, we have shown that public advocacy works. Thank you for standing with us to secure a safer future for elephants, wildlife and our planet.

Elephanatics Team

Thank You! Our UNTOC Wildlife Crime Campaign Reaches Its Milestone

On October 9th, our joint campaign with World Elephant Day, ‘Give Wildlife Crime The Severity That It Deserves,’ officially closed its letter-writing drive.

We would like to thank every educator, advocate, student, and supporter who took thirty seconds to email their Member of Parliament, share our posts, or sign our petition.

Because of your action, Canadian ministers and MPs have received an unmistakable message: Canadians are asking their parliamentary members to support a legally binding Wildlife Crime Protocol to strengthen international laws and close the legal loopholes that allow organized crime to exploit global wildlife.

Why This Campaign Mattered: Bridging Global Policy with Local Communities

As highlighted in recent investigative reporting by Mongabay, Canada’s current import framework leaves critical gaps. Under existing laws, importers are not consistently required to prove the legal origin of wildlife at our borders.

Former Canadian Director General of Wildlife Enforcement Sheldon Jordan put it bluntly: under current legal frameworks, import bans are “hardly worth more than the paper they’re written on.” In short, if a species isn’t explicitly listed under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), Canadian border officers cannot legally stop a shipment—even if it was poached or taken illegally from another country. Without mandatory proof of legal origin at our borders, Canada unwittingly acts as a safe harbor for illicit wildlife trade.

This isn’t just an abstract overseas issue—it directly impacts Canadian communities. As featured in our recent publication in the Surrey Now-Leader:

“Across Surrey, residents and local business owners are feeling the weight of rising property crime, gang activity, and illicit trade. Wildlife trade is at the heart of transnational organized crime… A protocol to protect international wildlife is key to cracking down on transnational crime in our own backyards.”

Our campaign demanded a structural, international solution to address both local safety and global conservation:

  1. A Dedicated UNTOC Protocol: Adding a fourth protocol under the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime to target wildlife trafficking syndicates.

  2. Mandatory Cross-Border Verification: Closing legal loopholes so illegal shipments cannot hide behind weak regional laws.

  3. Law Enforcement Severity: Giving enforcement agencies the global intelligence tools needed to freeze criminal assets and dismantle wildlife trafficking networks.

What Happens Next?

While the letter-writing window for this campaign phase has closed, our policy work is just beginning.

Elephanatics is compiling and submitting the letters gathered through this joint initiative with World Elephant Day directly to Canadian decision-makers ahead of the UNTOC Conference of the Parties (CoP13) meetings this month. We are ensuring ministers and MPs hear clearly that their constituents want Canada to lead—not follow—on global environmental justice and international wildlife protection.

Stay Connected
Our educational toolkits and advocacy resources remain live on our site:

  • 🍎 Educators & Parents: You can still access our free UNTOC Education Toolkit to bring conservation policy into the classroom.
  • 🐘 Stay Informed: Subscribe  to receive updates as UNTOC negotiations progress!

The drive to protect global wildlife doesn’t stop here. Thank you for standing with us to make wildlife crime a global priority.

— The Elephanatics Team

Listening to the Voice of Nature: Why Love Requires Law

"Elephanatics Foundation - Free elephant conservation lesson plans, toolkits for teachers, and persuasive essay resources."
Mother elephant with her calf.

When you look into the eyes of a wild elephant, you get an overwhelming sense of your own humility. During a trip to Kenya’s Maasai Mara, a matriarch charged our jeep, stopping just three feet away. In that heart-stopping moment, our eyes met—a stark reminder that we are in their world, and the only way to truly protect nature and wildlife is to listen to it.

Today, that protection is failing on a global scale. Transnational crime syndicates generate $199 billion annually through illegal wildlife trafficking—often operating through the same organized networks that smuggle weapons, illicit drugs, and human beings, taking advantage of weak laws and low penalties.

Elephanatics and World Elephant Day have collaborated to rally Canadians to demand our government support a binding Wildlife Crime Protocol under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). With crucial discussions unfolding at the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) this September and leading directly into the 13th Conference of the Parties (COP13) in Vienna this October, your local Member of Parliament needs to hear from you today.

🚨 TAKE 30 SECONDS TO EMAIL YOUR MP NOW 🚨 

  • Click Here to Send the English Letter
  • Cliquez ici pour envoyer la lettre en français

(Your letter is automatically formatted and sent directly to your local Member of Parliament based on your postal code.)

Why We Need Action Ahead of CCPCJ & UNTOC COP13

Today, transnational wildlife trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise. Poachers and organized syndicates exploit legal loopholes across borders, pushing vulnerable species toward extinction worldwide because international law continues to treat wildlife crime as a minor offense.

After an eight-year campaign, Elephanatics successfully helped push through strict new regulations to end Canada’s trade in elephant ivory and rhino horn in 2024. Now, we must finish the job on the global stage.

A legally binding UNTOC Protocol will:

  • Close Legal Loopholes: Harmonize global laws so traffickers cannot hide behind weak borders.

  • Target Syndicates: Give law enforcement cross-border intelligence tools to freeze cartel assets.

  • Impose Severe Penalties: Treat wildlife crime with the exact same legal severity as human, arms, and drug trafficking.

Stand With Us Before the Fall UN Summits

I will never forget the moment nature challenged me to respect its voice. Now, decision-makers in Ottawa need to hear yours.

👉 Click Here to Email Your MP in English

👉 Cliquez ici pour envoyer la lettre en français

Thank you for taking action today. Every single letter brings us one step closer to real justice.

Fran Duthie

President, Elephanatics Foundation

 

International Day for Biological Diversity

The Value of Nature: How Real-Time Data is Unlocking the Future of Biodiversity

Following yesterday’s International Day for Biological Diversity, we are keeping the momentum going by reflecting on a massive paradigm shift currently underway in how the world calculates wealth. For decades, the global economy has treated nature as an infinite, free resource. We calculated the economic value of a forest by the price of its timber, and the value of an ecosystem by the land cleared for development.

But conservationists and forward-thinking economists are asking a fundamental question: What if we structurally value a living, breathing ecosystem more than a destroyed one?

In a recent, high-profile feature by Fortune, our director, Dr. JakeWall, CEO Wildlife Dynamics, pulled back the curtain on how advanced technology is turning this concept into a reality. By leveraging EarthRanger—a revolutionary data platform utilizing real-time visualization and predictive AI tracking—we aren’t just protecting wildlife on the ground; we are building the financial foundation needed to fund global conservation forever.

Moving From “Reactive” to “Proactive” Protection

At its core, EarthRanger acts as the central nervous system for vast, vulnerable landscapes. It integrates data from satellite collars, ranger patrol radios, camera traps, and weather monitors into a single, live map.

As the Fortune piece highlights, this allows field teams to shift from a reactive state (discovering a poaching incident after it occurs) to a proactive state. If an elephant stops moving unexpectedly, or if an asset behaves abnormally, the AI flags it instantly. It coordinates frontline rangers, mitigates human-wildlife conflict before it impacts local communities, and keeps wildlife safe.

EarthRanger and Biodiversity Credit Markets

You have likely heard of carbon credits, but biodiversity credit markets are the next frontier. Under this framework, companies, governments, and philanthropists invest directly in the preservation of specific habitats.

The catch? Investors want proof. They need to know that if they fund a square kilometer of African savannah, that ecosystem is actually staying intact; that the elephant populations are thriving, and the biodiversity is being protected.

But having this mountain of precise, undeniable data does something even more profound. It solves the biggest obstacle holding back global funding for conservation: providing absolute proof to investors that their money is actually saving wildlife!

Because EarthRanger tracks landscape data continuously, it provides the transparent, up-to-date verification that financial markets require. We can now prove, with definitive data, that a protected area is being managed effectively.

Nature = Value

As Jake perfectly summarized in his interview, long-term wildlife protection requires a fundamental rewrite of how global financial markets perceive the natural world.

“If you can’t value it, you can’t protect it. We have to change the macroeconomics so that nature equals value.” > — Dr. Jake Wall, Fortune

When we give global markets a verifiable, data-backed mechanism to invest in living nature, protecting an elephant or a pristine migratory corridor ceases to be a charitable expense—it becomes a measurable, protected, and valuable asset to the world.

The Path Forward

Integrating cutting-edge data science with on-the-ground enforcement isn’t just a tech upgrade—it is an absolute necessity for the future of landscape rewilding and species protection. We are incredibly proud of Jake and the entire EarthRanger team for earning this well-deserved global recognition on the pages of Fortune.

As a community, your support allows us to champion these frontrunner technologies. The future of conservation isn’t just about fighting to stop the loss; it’s about building a world where a thriving planet is recognized as our most valuable asset.

*** 👉 Click Here to Read the Full Fortune Magazine Feature

Donate

Fran Duthie > President and Co-founder, Elephanatics

🐘 Elephanatics December Newsletter 🎁

"Elephanatics Foundation - Free elephant conservation lesson plans, toolkits for teachers, and persuasive essay resources."

Tis the Season!🎄

“Let us strive to learn from the past
Dare to live in the present
And have the courage to plan for the future!” 

As we venture into the Christmas Season we have some good news we want to share with you!

📢 Victory for Responsible Conservation: Rewilding Guidelines Published!

We are thrilled to celebrate a massive achievement led by our Director, René Beyers, at the IUCN World Conservation Congress. After dedicated work and advocacy, the crucial Rewilding Guidelines have been officially published! These guidelines are vital for ensuring that conservation and reintroduction efforts are ethical, responsible, and effective, setting a high standard for global biodiversity initiatives. René’s hard work has cemented Elephanatics’ leadership in science-based conservation policy.

📝 A Voice for Elephants at CITES-CoP20

Some great news coming out of the CITES-CoP20 being held in Uzbekistan right now!  CITES-CoP20  delivered a crucial victory for wildlife! Elephanatics, with our coalition partners, successfully urged the Canadian delegation to oppose Proposals 13 and 14, which sought to re-open commercial ivory trade. Critically, the strong international stance was maintained, blocking all attempts, including Namibia’s proposal 13, to reopen the international ivory and rhino horn trade. This is great news for elephants! 🐘:) 

✨ Good News: Amboseli’s Elephants are Thriving!

We were delighted by the recent reports confirming a significant increase in the elephant population in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park! This positive trend is a beacon of hope and a testament to the hard work of conservation partners, rangers, and local communities who protect this vital ecosystem. Every successful breeding season and every protected herd reinforces the mission we all share.

📚 New Lesson Plan for Educators!

We are excited to announce the launch of a new educational resource for teachers and educators: “Giants and Guardians: A Global Conservation Comparison.” This lesson plan is designed for Grades 6-8 and compares elephant conservation challenges in Africa with parallel issues facing iconic wildlife in Canada and the United States. We encourage all educators to review this resource and bring global conservation awareness into the classroom! Find all our lesson plans at elephanatics.org/education 

🎁 Shop & Save an Elephant This Season!

As you begin your holiday shopping, remember that you can support Elephanatics without spending an extra dime!

Visit our Teespring line today and purchase apparel, mugs, and more. 100% of every sale goes directly back to our conservation, education, and action initiatives, helping us fund the critical work you read about above.

Thank you for your continued support and passion for elephants. Wishing you all a safe start to December filled with laughter and joy for the festive season, and may the New Year bring continued success and prosperity for you all!

“Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.” Charles Dickens 

The Elephanatics Team 🎁🎄

 

Elephanatics October 2025 Newsletter!

October is Here!

 

"Elephanatics Foundation - Free elephant conservation lesson plans, toolkits for teachers, and persuasive essay resources."

“O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
To-morrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.”
— Robert Frost, from the poem “October”

 

As the days grow darker and the chill sets in, it’s the perfect time to renew our spirits and look forward to the warmth of friends and family.  Thanksgiving offers a wonderful chance to pause, be grateful for all we have, and cherish the good times. We have some great news to share with you as well!

  • We are absolutely delighted to introduce our new Outreach Coordinator and Educator, Amanda Slatin! We are so fortunate to welcome an enthusiastic teacher who is ready to inspire students to become the next generation of Planet Protectors.

Amanda is a passionate Educator committed to sparking curiosity and
lifelong learning, as she enjoys teaching students in K-12th grades. She has a Master’s in Education and has worked as a Curriculum Developer in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Africa. After a recent trip to Kenya, she fell in love with the elephants, who are one of the most protective, loyal, and caring animals. Amanda believes in the power of storytelling, building an interactive classroom, sharing real-world connections to inspire young minds, with a commitment to conservation by fostering empathy, compassion, and community.

On World Animal Day, Empower the Protectors: Fund an Elephant Scholarship for the Mara Elephant Project.

  • On this World Animal Day, October 4th, Empower the Protectors!

Please consider  funding an elephant scholarship for the Mara Elephant Project in Kenya. The Mara Elephant Project (MEP) does vital work on the front lines, and we are proud partners through our unique elephant scholarship program. This isn’t just about saving animals; it’s about building capacity, fostering local leadership, and creating sustainable conservation solutions from within the communities that live alongside these giants. Your support for our scholarship program provides critical training and education for dedicated individuals in Kenya, transforming them into skilled conservationists. They become the eyes on the ground, the voices for the voiceless, and the guardians of elephant herds, directly impacting the reduction of poaching and mitigation of human-elephant conflict. Donate today!

  • We are now a member of the Canadian Committee for the IUCN (CCIUCN)!

The Canadian Committee for IUCN (CCIUCN) provides a crucial voice and networking platform for Canadians engaged in IUCN work. As a supportive, collegial non-profit, the CCIUCN allows individuals and organizations across Canada to actively share information and foster collective action on conservation issues. They specifically work intergenerationally and with diverse cultures (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) to ensure different world views and perspectives are represented in their initiatives. Their activities, including the Annual General Meeting and communication channels, showcase the diversity of Canadian conservation.
In addition, the CCIUCN is a hub for sharing applicable global IUCN news, information and expertise. The #IUCNWorldConservationCongress is being held in Abu Dhabi this year Oct 9 – 15 with the theme “Powering transformative conservation”. Rewilding will be a central component at the Congress. You can help support rewilding efforts here.

  • CITES CoP20 – November 24 – December 5, 2025

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is the global mechanism that keeps wildlife trade from pushing species toward extinction.
The member Parties will meet soon for the 20th Conference of the Parties (CoP20) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from November 24 to December 5, 2025, to vote on new proposals. Elephanatics and our coalition believe some of these proposals pose a serious threat. We have submitted a letter to Canada’s CITES Management Authority outlining our opposition and calling for immediate action to oppose these proposals. Please review our urgent position letter here: Canada CITES Management Authority SUBMISSION

We are deeply grateful for your support and shared love of elephants and all wildlife. Let’s keep working together to help our fellow friends! Enjoy the fall season ahead.

The ELEPHANATICS Team

Elephanatics Newsletter September 2025

Back to School Edition

At Elephanatics Foundation, we’re committed to educating the next generation. We believe that fostering a deep understanding of elephants—their vital role as a keystone species and their status as iconic mammals crucial to local and global ecosystems—is the cornerstone for building the next generation of future conservationists.

Elephanatics Education Resources for Teachers | Educators | Homeschools 

To better support teachers and students, we have created new, updated, and personalized lesson plans tailored for elementary and secondary educators. Access our full range of elementary and intermediary lesson plans, designed for both Canadian and US curriculums, with a simple click!  Available below for immediate download:

  • For elementary and secondary school educators – bring a wildlife ranger or elephant researcher into your classroom! To find out more click here.
  • Check out our lesson plans on elephant ecology and action! Click here to learn more. 
  • NEW! Request  a teacher to do a virtual presentation in your classroom! Pick a special day like #WorldElephantDay  #WorldWildlifeDay or #EarthDay to make it even more impactful! Or, just pick any day that suits you!

On behalf of the Fran Duthie (Elephanatics) African Elephant Conservation Scholarship, Mara Elephant Project is thrilled to welcome four incredible young conservation champions into the herd!
These four candidates were chosen not only for their passion and drive, but also because they represent the communities Mara Elephant Project partners with to protect wildlife and their habitats. Amos and Faith are from the Loita area and are passionate about its preservation. Additionally, Sarah and Robert are from key operational areas in the Mara where the community is critical to supporting MEP’s coexistence efforts. Together, they represent the future of conservation, leaders driven by resilience, passion, and a vision for thriving communities and wild spaces. Congratulations, Faith Leuka,  Amos Baari,  Robert Muli and Sarah Loiman!
Read more about their journeys here.



A huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating #WorldElephantDay with a donation!
This year, Elephanatics was honored to partner with the Mara Elephant Project (MEP), an organization on the front lines of elephant conservation in Kenya, Africa. Our shared goal was to raise awareness and critical funds for the Loita Forest in Kenya, a lush and biodiverse habitat that is not only home to a thriving elephant population but also a sanctuary for many other rare and endangered species.
Our initial target was to raise $1,200, and we are beyond grateful to share that with a generous dollar-for-dollar match from Elephanatics, we completely surpassed that goal!
Your contributions will directly fund the Mara Elephant Project’s crucial on-the-ground efforts—from anti-poaching patrols that keep elephants safe, to community-led programs that resolve human-wildlife conflicts. Every dollar donated will be put to work immediately, ensuring the guardians of this forest have the resources they need to protect this precious ecosystem.
Thank you for being an essential part of the solution where together we are helping to protect and build a world where elephants and all wildlife can thrive.


Conservation and Technology

Can Tech Turn the Tide on Wildlife Crime? 

As one of the world’s most profitable international crimes, the illicit wildlife trade generates billions in revenue each year. The criminal syndicates responsible for poaching and illegal resource extraction are highly organized and well-funded. Find out how scalable innovation is being used as a strategic tool to effectively counter this global threat. Read more here.

Interested in supporting our work? Click here to donate.

Thank you for your support!

ELEPHANATICS TEAM

Happy #WorldElephantDay 2025

"Elephanatics Foundation - Free elephant conservation lesson plans, toolkits for teachers, and persuasive essay resources."
Today we pause to give thanks and respect to the matriarchs who shape our world – from elephants to humans!
The theme of World Elephant Day 2025 is “Matriarchs & Memories.” The theme is a tribute to the deep emotional lives and social intelligence of elephants and serves as a call to action to protect both the physical presence of elephants and the cultural and biological heritage they represent.
We would like to thank everyone who has donated to our fundraiser to help support Mara Elephant Project. Their goal to raise funds to preserve a section of the Loita Forest in Kenya for elephants, other wildlife and communities, is one of their largest projects to date. They have forged partnerships in the forest to  pay people to protect and preserve the land, solidify MEP’s ongoing protection efforts and create an elephant easement that provides shelter for the gentle giants that call it home.
Your donations help them fund critical activities to protect this area. Please continue to help them preserve a forest for elephants, people and the planet.
Double your impact today on #WED! 🐘🐘
#Donate – rb.gy/7k17mg

Fran Duthie African Elephant Scholarship 2025

📣 Congratulations 📣 to the four new recipients chosen for the Fran Duthie African Elephant Conservation Scholarship, 2025! 🎓

Mara Elephant Project is thrilled to welcome four incredible young conservation champions into the 2025 Fran Duthie (Elephanatics) African Elephant Conservation Scholarship herd.

🔸 Faith Leuka – A passionate forestry student and community leader from Narok, committed to sustainable land use and empowering women in conservation. Faith is currently undertaking her Diploma in Forestry at the Kenya Forestry College in Kericho.
🔸 Amos Baari – A climate advocate and pastoralist champion pursuing his Master’s in Climate Change and Environment, working to bridge pastoralist livelihoods and biodiversity protection. Baari is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Climate Change and Environment at the University of Nairobi.
🔸 Robert Muli – A wildlife conservation student whose resilience and leadership have fueled his dream to strengthen community-based conservation and wildlife management. Muli is currently enrolled at the University of Eldoret, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Conservation and Management.
🔸 Sarah Loiman – A dedicated student from Narok with aspirations in Environmental Science, determined to give back through education, outreach, and wildlife protection. Sarah is pursuing a Bachelor of Environmental Science at Kenyatta University.
These four candidates were chosen not only for their passion and drive, but also because they represent the communities Mara Elephant Project partners with to protect wildlife and their habitats. Amos and Faith are from the Loita area and are passionate about its preservation. Additionally, Sarah and Robert are from key operational areas in the Mara where the community is critical to supporting MEP’s coexistence efforts. Together, they represent the future of conservation, leaders driven by resilience, passion, and a vision for thriving communities and wild spaces.

If you wish to support the next generation of wildlife conservationists in Kenya visit the Mara Elephant Project donate page and leave a note that it is for the scholarship.

Our future lies in their hands!