Harms, crimes and natural resource exploitation:A green criminological and human rights perspective on land-use change - Conflicts Over Natural Resources in the Global South - page 105

With regard to the strategies and interventions aimed at limiting crimes and neu-
tralizing criminal organizations, criminological knowledge points to a tougher, less
selective and more effective governmental presence and regulation, with a stronger
rule of (just) law and more robust participation in policy development by the affected
communities. Fighting corruption and collusion is obviously part of a strategy of a
resilient rule of law. In the case of corporate crime, a combination of firm regulation
and sanctions with an effective strategy of 'naming and shaming' (Braithwaite and
Drahos 2002) can offer some hope. In more general terms, labelling certain natural
resource exploitation activities or emphasizing the crimes that occur in the process,
can already contribute to more awareness about the harms and crimes that are related
to natural resource exploitation, and, in doing so, possibly improve the interventions
by governments, corporations and NGOs to limit them.
Practically speaking, public and private policies should increase corporate respon-
sibility and professional integrity, limit corruption, increase the rule of law, and
promote all initiatives that empower the participation of affected communities in
policy making. Combined with true policies of sustainable land use, interven-
tions that help them to claim their rights, and improve their access to justice will
contribute to prevent the crimes and harms related to (illegal) natural resource
exploitation.
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