Economic hubs are a haven for environmental crime in South Africa

Environmental crime is becoming a significant developmental and regulatory challenge, especially in developing regions. In particular, the increasing prevalence of wildlife theft or poaching, land and atmospheric pollution, and illegal mining, among others, has severe impacts on the economic and the sustainability of social and environmental ecosystems. Unfortunately, in Africa, we have limited knowledge of the extent and consequences of this crime. The present study aimed to identify hot spots of environmental crimes in South Africa. To this end, we collected environmental crime data spanning three years (from 2017 to 2019), from the South Africa's Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) on the occurrence of environmental crime. First, we classified these criminal activities into brown, green, and blue types, and then analysed the spatial and temporal dynamics of their occurrences. Our results indicate that, while green and blue crimes are stable over time, brown crimes are increasing, suggesting steady measures are needed to curb the crimes. Unsurprisingly, our analysis identified economic hubs, such as the Gauteng and Western Cape provinces, as the hot spots of environmental crimes in the country, perhaps suggesting that economic development and environmental crimes are coupled. We call for the enhancement of environmental crime monitoring and strict enforcement of existing environmental law in the country.