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DTSTART:20260329T010000
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Helsinki:20260929T140000
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UID:31554-1790690400-1790863200@eo4society.esa.int
SUMMARY:Environmental Crimes joint workshop with ESA-JRC-UNODC
DESCRIPTION:\nAbstract submission\n\n\nCALL FOR PRESENTATIONS/POSTERS\nWe invite the submission of contributions for Environmental Crimes workshop\nHERE\nAbstract Submission Period: The system is open from 03 June 2026 to 29 July 2026.\nAuthors are encouraged to submit abstracts that clearly reflect the content of the presentation or poster\, presenting research\, developments\, or applications relevant to the conference thematic areas. All submissions will be reviewed by the Programme Committee. NOTE: Abstract length should be between 200 and 300 words (one A4 page\, single space normally contains 400-500 words).\n\n\n\nBackground\n\n\nEnvironmental crime remains one of the fastest-growing forms of organised crime worldwide\, with estimated annual growth rates of 5–7%. It is highly complex to detect\, investigate and prosecute\, as criminal networks often operate across borders and exploit differences in legal frameworks\, enforcement capacities and national priorities. Environmental crime covers a wide and evolving range of offences\, including illegal waste management and shipment\, illegal logging and timber trade\, illegal mineral mining\, illegal fishing\, unlawful water abstraction\, pollution\, habitat destruction\, wildlife trafficking\, illegal ship recycling\, and serious breaches of chemicals\, mercury and greenhouse-gas legislation. \nAddressing these crimes requires strong international cooperation\, both to dismantle transnational criminal networks and to support more harmonised\, effective enforcement. In the European Union\, the new Environmental Crime Directive entered into force in May 2024\, with 21 May 2026 the deadline for transposing it into national law. The new Directive replaces the 2008 framework\, expanding the list of criminal offences strengthening penalties and investigative tools. \nRobust evidence and high-quality documentation are essential to detect\, investigate and prosecute environmental offences. In this context\, new technologies and analytical tools can play a decisive role. Recent advances in Earth Observation (EO)\, particularly satellite-based monitoring\, have made it possible to access data with increasing spatial\, spectral and temporal detail. EO-based intelligence can significantly enhance environmental crime investigations by strengthening monitoring\, inspection and evidentiary capabilities. At the same time\, its operational and legal use raises important challenges\, including data access and quality\, privacy considerations\, cross-border data sharing\, and the admissibility of geospatial evidence in judicial proceedings. \n\n\n\nEuropean Space Agency\, JRC and UNODC role\nThis workshop is a joint initiative of the European Space Agency (ESA)\, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission and of UNODC to foster a greater uptake of EO technology in environmental compliance assurance. \nThe Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission provides independent\, science-based evidence and knowledge to inform European policy. Notably\, it generates geospatial intelligence that enhances the European Commission’s capacity to implement and enforce EU environmental legislation. To promote environmental compliance assurance across EU Member States\, the JRC actively identifies and disseminates best practices regarding the utilization of geospatial data. In this regard\, the present workshop serves as a critical forum\, uniting practitioners and the Earth Observation community to address key challenges in environmental compliance. Furthermore\, the JRC hosts the Commission’s Knowledge Centre on Earth Observation (KCEO)\, which acts as the central focal point for integrating EO data into European Union policy. \nThe United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) supports Member States in preventing and countering crimes that affect the environment by strengthening criminal justice frameworks\, enhancing investigative and analytical capacities\, and fostering international cooperation. UNODC’s work covers a wide range of offences–including wildlife trafficking\, forest crime\, illegal mining and crimes in the fisheries sector and addresses their links with transnational organized crime\, corruption\, money-laundering and other enabling offences. Through this workshop\, UNODC contributes a global law-enforcement and criminal justice perspective\, together with extensive capacity building experience\, to help integrate Earth Observation-based intelligence into operational workflows\, cross-border investigations and evidence-based strategies to counter crimes that affect the environment. \nWorkshop Objectives \nThe workshop aims to: \n\nIdentify and review methods enabled by geospatial data sources\, and particularly EO\, to support better detection and characterization of environmental crimes and their consequences;\nEnhance awareness of the latest developments in geospatial and open source intelligence in the context of multidisciplinary evidence collection to assure environmental compliance;\nIdentify gaps in administrative capacity or expertise among enforcement authorities;\nCollect insights on priority areas to improve the integration of EO capabilities in intelligence workflows and protocols for environmental crime investigations;\nAligning with stakeholders’ agenda\, highlight the importance of developing crime-countering strategies that are evidence-based and data-driven\, addressing both the root causes of crime and its environmental\, societal and economic dimensions;\nInform the definition of requirements for EO and other geospatial products and services supporting environmental crime investigations;\nOutline a way forward to implement new solutions for a wider uptake of EO into investigations of environmental crimes within the ESA-JRC cooperation activities.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTarget Audience\n\nThis workshop is intended for researchers\, governmental and non-governmental organizations\, investigative teams\, legal bodies\, and international agencies that develop or use EO for environmental compliance assurance\, and particularly enforcement activities.\nThese includes:\n\nPolice forces\, prosecutors\, judges\, and inspectors dealing with environmental compliance and enforcement;\nInternational organizations dealing with environmental compliance or crime and protection agencies;\nScientists using EO\, or others form of geospatial data\, to research issues related to environmental crime;\nLegal scholars researching the use of geospatial intelligence or OSINT data in compliance assurance;\nInternational organizations and NGOs working on environmental crime;\nRepresentatives from industry\, startups\, research centers active in the thematic areas addressed by the workshop \n\nThe workshop will be hosted at the ESA – ESRIN\, Frascati (Italy)\, as an in-person meeting\, with the possibility to follow the workshop remotely. \n\nTopic areas:\nThe workshop will be structured around the main aspects of environmental compliance assurance : promotion\, monitoring\, enforcement\, and capacity building. \nAbstracts can be submitted indicating one of these four areas. \nPromote\nEO technology serves as a powerful tool for raising businesses’ and duty-holders’ awareness of their compliance with environmental regulations by offering insights into the impact of their operations on the environment. For instance\, EO data can help assess greenhouse gas emissions\, land usage\, water pollution levels\, resources exploitation. This EO-derived data facilitates informed decision-making to ensure business operations are environmentally compliant. Presentations on EO-driven ‘preventive’ measures should be submitted within this thematic area. \nMonitor\nSpace technology can help assess and detect non-compliance with environmental regulations. Various types of sensors deployed in space offer extensive monitoring capabilities. For instance\, spectrometers sensors can be used to measure atmospheric pollution\, thermal infrared sensors to identify deforestation fires\, optical sensors to detect wildlife poaching\, and SAR sensors to track illegal fishing activities and oil spills\, clear forest cuts\, changes into mining sites among others. Such data can provide solid evidence and early alerts for enforcement in inspections\, audits\, investigations\, and examination of public complaints. Presentations on EO and OSINT enabled ‘diagnostics’ should be submitted within this thematic area. \nEnforce\nEnforcement provides the means to of stopping non-compliance with environmental rules\, applying sanctions\, and repairing environmental damage. It covers\, amongst other things\, official warnings\, cease-and-desist orders\, administrative or criminal proceedings\, application of sanctions\, and demands to take remedial action. Presentations on EO and OSINT-backed ‘corrective’ measures should be submitted within this thematic area. \nCapacity Building\nCapacity building supports the effective uptake and operational use of EO and OSINT technologies for environmental compliance. It includes activities aimed at strengthening institutional\, technical and analytical capacities among competent authorities\, enforcement bodies\, businesses and other relevant stakeholders. This may cover training\, knowledge transfer\, development of guidance\, sharing of best practices\, creation of user-friendly tools\, and support to data interpretation and integration into existing compliance workflows. Presentations on EO- and OSINT-enabled approaches that enhance skills\, cooperation and operational readiness for environmental compliance assurance should be submitted within this thematic area. \nThematic areas:\n\nAir pollution/ emissions\nWildlife\, Biodiversity and Protected Areas Crime\nFisheries and marine environmental crime\, including IUU Fishing and discharges\nLand Pollution\, illegal waste and Hazardous Substances\nIllegal mining\, quarrying and sand extraction\nIllegal water abstraction and water pollution\nForestry crimes\nIllegal Fires and Burning\nOther\n\nSchedule and Deadlines\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbstract submission opening\n01 June 2026\n\n\nAbstract submission closing – EXTENDED\n29 July 2026\n\n\nNotification of acceptance\n03 August 2026\n\n\nIssue of Preliminary Programme\n04 August 2026\n\n\nRegistration Opening\n04 August 2026\n\n\nRegistration Closing\n01 September 2026\n\n\nIssue of Final Programme\nat the workshop\n\n\nWorkshop\n29 September to 01 October 2026\n\n\n\n\nFor more detailed information\, please go to the website https://envcrimes2026.esa.int/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nProgramme Committee\n\n\n\nPieter Beck\nJRC \n\n\n\n\nCorentin Bolyn\nJRC \n\n\n\n\nCoen Bussink\nUNODC \n\n\n\n\nGordon Campbell\nEuropean Space Agency – ESA \n\n\n\n\nMaria Michela Corvino\nEuropean Space Agency – ESA \n\n\n\n\nFederico Filipponi\nNational Research Council\, Italy \n\n\n\n\nAnja Korenblik\nUNODC \n\n\n\n\nFederica Marando\nEuropean Space Agency – ESA \n\n\n\n\nKenji Ose\nJRC \n\n\n\n\nThibault Taillade\nEuropean Space Agency – ESA \n\n\n\n\nAlessandra Tassa\nEuropean Space Agency – ESA \n\n\n\n\nChristelle Vancutsem\nJRC \n\n\n\n\n\nEOP-S-Environmental_Crimes_2026_WS_Privacy Notice_DPNR 3196\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:https://eo4society.esa.int/event/environmental-crimes-joint-workshop-with-esa-jrc-unodc/
LOCATION:ESA-ESRIN\, Largo Galileo Galilei\, 1\, Frascati\, RM\, 00044\, Italy
CATEGORIES:Conference,Workshops
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