A United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) study, highlighted in a CCTV Africa report, revealed that illegal ivory, charcoal and logging trade is costing Kenya upwards of $100 billion. UN officials at a recent anti-poaching conference said it’s time that those who partake in environmental crimes — including buyers — should be handled and prosecuted like those who engage in other types of serious crimes.

“These are not small amounts of money and in fact sustain conflict, enable people to buy arms and ultimately to put civil strife and conflict — not simply as a localized phenomenon, but part of a transnational network that operates across the globe,” Achim Steiner, UNEP executive director said in the report.