THE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY FOR EARTH
Earth League International (ELI) is the only NGO in the world dedicated exclusively to investigating and addressing Environmental Crime Convergence—the intersection of environmental/wildlife crime with other serious transnational crimes such as money laundering, human trafficking, corruption, and drug trafficking.
As pioneers in the use of professional intelligence to combat environmental crime and crime convergence, ELI has spent over a decade at the forefront of the fight against environmental organized crime. With a proven track record and collaborations with key government agencies in the U.S. and abroad, ELI identifies and investigates high-level environmental criminals and transnational wildlife trafficking networks worldwide—including how they move their money and their links to transnational organized crime and other serious offenses.
“Earth League International has been working to create an intelligence agency for Earth. Why? Because it’s so desperately important to combat environmental crime with the same determination and organization, as other global threats are tackled, threats such as terrorism, and the trafficking of humans, and drugs.
I’m so very grateful to Andrea Crosta for his dedication to this so important cause.”
The Power of Professional Intelligence
At ELI, we believe in the power of long-term investigative and intelligence-gathering operations to build a deep, detailed understanding of the key criminal actors, their modus operandi, and their connections to other serious crimes. Our approach prioritizes comprehensive, sustained efforts that uncover the complex criminal networks behind environmental and wildlife crimes, rather than relying on short-term investigations focused on quick arrests and seizures.
This strategic, long-term approach enables us to provide more actionable and impactful intelligence that can be utilized by multiple government agencies, policy makers, and partners in various ways, leading to far-reaching results and lasting systemic change.
ELI’s team includes experienced multinational field investigators, undercover operators, researchers, crime analysts, geospatial intelligence specialists, and highly skilled former professionals from U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Our team members bring decades of global experience, including service in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), and other government institutions.
It is this expertise and flexibility that allows us to operate in situations and locations where other NGOs or governmental agencies are unable or unwilling to operate.
Intelligence is the knowledge – ideally the foreknowledge – that leads to the understanding of the global criminal network systems behind the criminal exploitation of nature.
ELI believes that—just as with other global threats like terrorism, drug trafficking, and organized crime—intelligence must be at the core of efforts to combat environmental crime. By providing critical first-hand intelligence on the key players and the mechanisms behind these crimes, we equip law enforcement agencies, government bodies, policymakers, academics, media outlets, and NGOs with the knowledge needed to drive meaningful change.
We collaborate with various government agencies in the U.S. and abroad, inter-governmental organizations, financial institutions, and various academic institutions, including the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and the Florida International University in Miami.
ELI is a fact-finding organization. Through field investigations, research, and analysis, we target transnational criminal organizations, international traffickers, middlemen and corrupt government officials involved in environmental crime—ranging from deforestation and land grabbing in the Amazon to wildlife trafficking, illegal fishing, logging, and mining.
Our efforts unearth evidence and unveil previously undisclosed information that can be used in different way by various stakeholders to fight the criminal exploitation of nature and associated crimes.
During or upon the conclusion of our field operations, ELI prepares various Intelligence Products, including Confidential Intelligence Briefs (CIBs), Situational Reports (SITREPs) and Target Profiles to share with relevant governmental and law enforcement agencies at national, regional, and international levels, depending on the nature of intelligence and which agencies are well-positioned to take effective action.
Everything done at ELI is grounded in facts and field-based information, ensuring that our findings serve as the building blocks for action and accountability. By shedding light on the hidden activities of the world’s most important environmental criminals and their networks, we tackle the key enablers behind the ongoing criminal exploitation of wildlife, natural resources, ecosystems, and biodiversity.
