(C) Transparency International This story was originally published by Transparency International and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Transparency International Knowledge Hub [1] [] Date: 2025-11 This Anti-Corruption Helpdesk brief was produced in response to a query from a U4 Partner Agency. The U4 Helpdesk is operated by Transparency International in collaboration with the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre based at the Chr. Michelsen Institute. Query Please provide a summary of evidence on corruption and trafficking in flora and fauna (with a focus on wildlife, timber and other non-timber forest products) in Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam, as well as the national and regional level responses to these. Summary Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam are all to varying extents source, transit and destination countries for trafficking in species of flora and fauna. The literature consistently holds that the corruption of low and high-level public officials is one of the main enablers of trafficking in the region. Recommended mitigation measures include introducing tamper-resistant verification and traceability processes for traded flora and fauna, as well as ensuring anti-corruption efforts are scaled up and integrated with counter-trafficking ones. Main points Southeast Asia is considered a global hotspot for the illegal flora and fauna trade, which involves animals and animal parts, timber and other non-timber forest products such as wild plants. This includes species sourced from Southeast Asian countries and internationally, and while high volumes are trafficked and consumed within the region, others are transited through to larger markets such as China. Trafficking in these flora and fauna species is often perpetrated by transnational criminal actors and private companies, individuals and families embedded in complex networks that include government actors and local populations. Corruption manifests in multifarious ways across the supply chains for trafficked flora and fauna. This includes low-level wildlife management authorities and customs officials taking bribes to falsify documentation and facilitate unobstructed passage along with the complicity of high-level officials in granting permits for logging which serves to obscure the illegal origin of timber. The academic literature, indices and available case examples indicate such dynamics are pronounced in the three focus countries of this Helpdesk Answer: Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam. While national authorities in the three countries have taken some measures to counter trafficking in recent years, observers argue these are not commensurate with the scale of the threats and that there is often insufficient will to target the corrupt public officials that facilitate trafficking. In this vein, the literature recommends that investigatory and prosecutorial bodies make more use of anti-corruption legal provisions when disrupting trafficking schemes, and for greater joint approaches between law enforcement authorities responsible for investigating corruption and those for trafficking, as well as fostering greater cross-border cooperation. Other potential mitigation measures include transparency and open data around public management of land, the adoption of human resource policies that inculcate a sense of integrity in authorities responsible for enforcing wildlife regulations, and the greater use of secure, digital verification and traceability mechanisms to help distinguish illegal from legally traded products. Authors Jamie Bergin (TI) Reviewed by Caitlin Maslen, Gvantsa Gverdtsiteli (TI) Tanya Wyatt David Aled Williams (U4) Date 07/11/2025 Tags [END] --- [1] Url: https://knowledgehub.transparency.org/helpdesk/corruption-and-trafficking-in-flora-and-fauna-in-lao-pdr-thailand-and-viet-nam Published and (C) by Transparency International Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/transparency/