Environmental Crime Prevention Program

The Environmental Crime Prevention Program (ECPP) was an Italian organization established in Naples in 1997 by lawyer and security consultant Mario Scaramella and his partner Filippo Marino. It presented itself as a permanent intergovernmental conference concerned with environmental crime, environmental security, and the protection of vulnerable regions through technological monitoring. Accounts of the organization describe rotating presidencies attributed to a range of countries, including Samoa, Angola, Sri Lanka, Slovakia, Romania, and the United States. The organization’s public profile emphasized international cooperation rather than a conventional commercial business model. The ECPP claimed to investigate or track environmental threats using aerial surveillance, satellite remote sensing, and related technologies. Its stated areas of interest included dumped nuclear waste, Soviet-era nuclear missiles reportedly left over from the Cold War, environmental crime in Eastern and Southern Europe, and alleged eco-terrorism in parts of Central Africa and South America. The organization also associated itself with the Fucino Space Center in Italy, presenting that site as an operational location and as a base for applying space and remote-sensing capabilities to environmental protection. The organization’s institutional status and activities were difficult to verify. It described itself as an intergovernmental conference, but reports questioned the basis of that designation and the extent of its relationships with governments or international bodies. One especially disputed episode concerned a supposed fourth plenary conference at United States Environmental Protection Agency offices in New York. Reporting stated that the meeting lasted approximately one hour and that earlier plenary conferences had not taken place. The event was nevertheless used in support of the organization’s claimed intergovernmental credentials and fundraising efforts. Italian investigative authorities later examined the ECPP and reportedly regarded it as a possible intelligence-front organization. That characterization was an investigative suspicion rather than an established description of the program’s formal legal identity. The available reference material does not establish a conventional product portfolio, a sustained commercial operation, a confirmed government mandate, or the organization’s current operating status. As a result, the ECPP is best understood as a controversial environmental-security initiative whose public claims, institutional relationships, and intelligence connections remained matters of dispute.

The Environmental Crime Prevention Program was founded in Naples, Italy, in 1997 by Mario Scaramella, an Italian lawyer and security consultant, together with Filippo Marino. It presented itself as a permanent intergovernmental conference focused on environmental crime and environmental security. Its public materials described an international structure with rotating presidencies associated with countries including Samoa, Angola, Sri Lanka, Slovakia, Romania, and the United States. The ECPP’s stated mission centered on using technology to protect the environment and improve security, especially in developing countries. It claimed to use aerial observation and satellite remote sensing to identify environmental crimes in Eastern and Southern Europe and alleged eco-terrorism in Central Africa and South America. It also claimed an association with the Fucino Space Center in Italy. One of the issues attributed to its work was the monitoring of dumped nuclear waste, including Soviet nuclear missiles said to have remained after the Cold War. The organization’s institutional presentation became controversial. A supposed fourth plenary conference was reportedly held at United States Environmental Protection Agency offices in New York, but accounts said the event lasted approximately one hour. The same accounts stated that the organization had not held a first plenary conference and had moved directly to a second conference because this appeared more credible for fundraising purposes. The claimed fourth conference was subsequently used to support the ECPP’s asserted intergovernmental status. Italian investigative authorities later drew attention to the organization and reportedly considered it a possible intelligence-front organization. The available material does not provide a definitive account of the ECPP’s legal status, operating continuity, financing, or ultimate disposition. It therefore remains a controversial and difficult-to-verify environmental-security initiative rather than a clearly documented international institution.

1. 1997Program founded in Naples

   Mario Scaramella and Filippo Marino founded the Environmental Crime Prevention Program in Naples, Italy.

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Presented itself as an international environmental-security and environmental-crime monitoring initiative using surveillance and remote-sensing technologies, particularly in regions described as vulnerable to environmental crime or terrorism.

• Environmental-security monitoringEnvironmental intelligence and monitoring

  The ECPP described its work as monitoring environmental crime and security threats through technological means. Its stated activities included the use of aerial surveillance and satellite remote sensing to identify or investigate alleged environmental crimes, especially in Eastern and Southern Europe, as well as alleged eco-terrorism in other regions. The available material describes these as organizational claims rather than independently verified commercial products.

• Nuclear-waste and Cold War weapons trackingEnvironmental risk investigation

  The organization was described as tracking dumped nuclear waste, including Soviet nuclear missiles reportedly left over from the Cold War. No detailed technical system, customer base, or independently documented results are identified in the available reference material.

• Disputed intergovernmental status and plenary conferencesControversy

  The ECPP’s presentation as a permanent intergovernmental conference was questioned. Reporting described a supposed fourth plenary conference at United States Environmental Protection Agency offices in New York as lasting about an hour and stated that earlier plenary conferences had not occurred.

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• Possible intelligence-front allegationsControversy

  Italian investigative authorities reportedly considered the ECPP a probable intelligence-front organization. The available material presents this as an investigative assessment and does not establish a final legal finding.

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1. Environmental Crime Prevention Program