ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Environ. Sci.
Sec. Environmental Policy and Governance
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2025.1528994
The legal fight against environmental crime, a fashionable panacea in several West African countries except Senegal
Provisionally accepted
- 1Bambey University, Bambey, Senegal
- 2Ministère de l'environnement et de la transition écologique du sénégal, Dakar, Senegal
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The world is undergoing a critical period marked by environmental damage threatening ecosystems and biodiversity. Environmental crime, including poaching, illegal logging, and pollution, poses a serious danger to protected areas in West Africa. This study focuses on the legal dynamics of the fight against environmental crime observed in recent years in several West African countries-namely Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, and Nigeriawhere specific normative and institutional frameworks have been implemented, with the notable exception of Senegal and some of its counterparts, whose approaches remain relatively marginal despite major environmental challenges. In response, several states in the region have implemented legal strategies to counter these crimes and preserve their natural resources. These initiatives include the development of specific legal frameworks, the establishment of specialized institutions, and the promotion of conservation policies.However, the situation varies among countries. Some adopt rigorous measures, while others, despite their stated commitments, demonstrate less strict implementation. This disparity can be attributed to institutional, cultural, or political challenges. The research questions the effectiveness of the legal mechanisms in place to combat environmental crime and examines whether Senegal and other countries should intensify their efforts in this area.
Keywords: violations, Biodiversity, Crime, sustainable development, sanctions
Received: 25 Nov 2024; Accepted: 11 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 CAMARA, SECK and GUEYE. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Fatou CAMARA, Bambey University, Bambey, Senegal
Mariane SECK, Bambey University, Bambey, Senegal
Ibrahima GUEYE, Ministère de l'environnement et de la transition écologique du sénégal, Dakar, Senegal
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