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<p>We welcomed the UN Office of Drugs and Crime report and the fact that it recognised
the UK's global leadership in fighting wildlife and forestry crime. We invited the
UN to undertake this analysis and we are proud to be the first G7 country to request
this assessment.</p><p> </p><p>We have carefully considered all the recommendations
of the report and they are informing our work to help us build on the positive progress
we have already made in tackling wildlife crime. This will include strategic engagement
with our partners that have responsibilities where individual recommendations are
concerned such as the devolved administrations, the Crown Prosecution Service, and
the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU).</p><p> </p><p>Many of the resourcing recommendations
fall outside of Defra's remit but progress has already been made in response to the
report. For example, in 2022 Defra more than doubled its funding of the NWCU to £1.2
million for the three-year period from 2022 to 2025, compared to £495,000 in the three
years previous. Additionally, Border Force has increased numbers in their team specialising
in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES).</p>
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