Focused Conservation recently participated in the Multilateral Counter-Timber Trafficking Workshop held in Libreville, Gabon, following an invitation from the United States Department of State. The conference, which took place May 18–22, 2026, brought together international representatives to discuss illegal logging, transnational timber trafficking, deforestation, and the movement of illegally sourced timber from origin countries to end-use processing markets around the world.
The event focused heavily on the growing environmental and criminal threats associated with illegal timber trade between countries including Cameroon, Gabon, Vietnam, and the United States. Government officials, law enforcement representatives, environmental authorities, and international partners gathered to explore strategies aimed at strengthening cooperation, intelligence sharing, and enforcement efforts targeting environmental crime networks operating across borders.
Key representatives from Cameroon attended the conference, including senior officials from the country’s Ministries of Environment and Forestry. Building upon Focused Conservation’s recent engagement in Cameroon related to the ratification of a cross-border Intelligence Sharing Agreement, Focused Conservation Technical Advisor Danny Murphy was able to further strengthen operational and legislative relationships with Cameroonian officials while also establishing new partnerships with representatives from Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Vietnam.
Throughout the conference, Focused Conservation delivered an overview of its growing efforts to support wildlife and natural resource crime investigations, intelligence gathering, operational training, and international enforcement cooperation across Africa and beyond. The organization’s hands-on, intelligence-driven approach to combating transnational environmental crime generated significant interest among conference participants and representatives from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other international partners.
Discussions during the conference also highlighted the increasing overlap between illegal logging, wildlife trafficking, corruption, and organized transnational criminal networks. Participants emphasized the importance of international collaboration and intelligence-driven enforcement efforts aimed at disrupting criminal supply chains responsible for exploiting critical ecosystems.
As a result of the conference, Focused Conservation strengthened ties not only with regional government partners, but also with senior representatives from the United States government. Officials expressed strong interest in expanding collaboration opportunities involving Focused Conservation’s technical assistance and operational support capabilities in Gabon and surrounding regions.
Senior Counsel from the Environment & Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice is expected to engage further with officials from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and Focused Conservation leadership regarding potential future cooperation initiatives.
The conference marked another important step in Focused Conservation’s ongoing efforts to support international partnerships focused on combating environmental crime, protecting vulnerable ecosystems, and strengthening the global response to illegal trafficking networks impacting wildlife and natural resources across multiple continents.
