Lack of up-to-date conservation policy, legislation loopholes, incompatible land-use spatial planning, limitations of land-use planning control and enforcement have placed many biodiversity hotspots that are situated in private land under threat from unlawful change of land use and habitat destruction.

WWF reviews possible loopholes in existing regulations or inadequacies of current enforcement mechanisms. We provide recommendations and advocate for any necessary law amendment and improvements in the enforcement effectiveness in order to deter environmental vandalism offenders.

We also collaborate with other NGOs, such as TrailWatch, to train hikers to identify eco-vandalism in the countryside and report them. This is particularly important for country park enclaves, which contain private land and are thus vulnerable.