Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act of 2021

Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act of 2021

This bill sets forth provisions relating to wildlife conservation, anti-trafficking and poaching, and illegal fishing.

Specifically, the bill

• directs the Departments of Justice, the Interior, Commerce, State, and the Treasury to develop a plan of action for awards to whistleblowers of violations of laws applicable to wildlife trafficking;
• directs Interior to carry out the International Wildlife Conservation Program to, among other things, address global conservation threats and combat wildlife trafficking and poaching;
• provides funding for the conservation of certain endangered species;
• authorizes Interior, in consultation with the State Department, to station not less than one U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officer in the primary diplomatic or consular post of the United States in a focus country or country of concern (i.e., countries engaging in wildlife trafficking); and
• directs Commerce to make amounts available for illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing enforcement.

The bill also modifies the federal criminal code to make wildlife trafficking and illegal fishing predicates with respect to the enforcement of certain criminal offenses, including racketeering and money laundering.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov