The International Legal Framework for Combating Environmental Crimes

Abstract

The legal framework adopted by the international community to provide criminal legal protection for the environment, at both the national and international levels, is closely linked to the legal criminal approach to environmental conservation. This connection arises from the legal obligation of citizens to adhere to their state's commitments toward the international community as stipulated in relevant international and regional treaties—both directly and indirectly related to environmental protection. This is based on the premise that states are bound by these treaties to integrate and enshrine these obligations into their constitutions and domestic environmental legislation. Accordingly, this study aims to address the provisions of legal protection for the environment in its deterrent aspect as established in international conventions. The objective is to extract the scope and requirements of such protection on both domestic and international levels, derived primarily from international environmental law and international criminal law.