Terms of Use

Terms of Use

V.1 [Last updated on September 2025]

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Please read these Terms and Conditions (“Terms“) carefully before using www.wildlifecrimeacademy.eu or any related password-protected platform (the “Website“, “Platform“, “Service“) operated by the Vulture Conservation Foundation (“VCF“, “we“, “us“, “our“, “Organisation“), which is the leading organisation conserving and protecting Europe’s vulture species and the coordinating beneficiary of the WildLIFE Crime Academy project.

The Website has two components:

1. Public-facing website, which includes information about the project, its objectives, activities, news, and deliverables.
2. Password-protected Knowledge Exchange Platform (“Platform”), where registered and approved participants can access training materials, participate in discussions, and collaborate with other members.

The purpose of this Website includes, but is not limited to:

1. Detailing our conservation and wildlife crime prevention work,
2. Raising awareness about wildlife crime,
3. Sharing project deliverables and resources for transparency,
4. Sharing relevant news, and
5. Providing a secure Knowledge Exchange Platform for registered and approved individuals to collaborate, access training materials, and exchange information related to wildlife crime investigations and enforcement.

These are the Terms and Conditions governing the use of this Service and the agreement that operates between the User (“User”, “You”, “Your” means a person, organisation, or entity accessing or using the Website or Platform). These Terms and Conditions set out the rights and obligations of all Users regarding the use of the Service.

Your access to and use of the Service is conditioned on Your acceptance of and compliance with these Terms and Conditions. By registering for or using either the public Website or the Knowledge Exchange Platform, You agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.

If You disagree with any part of these Terms and Conditions, You may not access or use the Service.

You represent that You are over the age of 18. The Organisation does not permit those under 18 to use the Service.

PRIVACY POLICY

Your access to and use of the Service is also conditioned on Your acceptance of and compliance with the Privacy Policy of the Organisation. Please refer to our Privacy Policy for detailed information on how VCF collects, uses, and discloses personally identifiable information from its Users, including specific rules for the Knowledge Exchange Platform, such as user registration, forum contributions, and role-based access controls.

USER ACCOUNTS AND REGISTRATION

Certain areas of the Service, including the Knowledge Exchange Platform, require registration and approval by VCF before access is granted. By registering, You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during the registration process and to keep Your account details updated.

1. Access to the Platform is strictly limited to individuals whom VCF or its authorised project partners have invited. No public registration is available.
2. Invitations are issued directly to approved participants, and each invitation is personal and non-transferable.
3. VCF reserves the right to verify eligibility before granting access and may deny, suspend, or revoke access at its discretion.
4. User accounts are personal and may not be shared. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of Your login credentials and for all activities occurring under Your account.

USER ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Platform uses role-based access to manage different levels of permissions:

1. Administrators: Full access to user management, evaluation tools, and content moderation.
2. Moderators: Ability to review and approve forum topics, evaluate participants, and moderate discussions.
3. Country Managers: Oversight of country-specific discussions and content.
4. Participants: Access to training materials, resources, and discussion forums according to their assigned training level.

By using the Platform, You agree to:

1. Engage respectfully and lawfully with other users in forums and shared spaces.
2. Not share sensitive information, including case details, outside the Platform without proper authorisation.
3. Only upload content (e.g., documents, images, forum posts) that You have the legal right to share.
4. Respect the privacy of other users and not attempt to access private information beyond what Your role allows.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

VCF will not be liable for any damages arising from or in connection with the use of the Service.

You expressly understand and agree that VCF will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary damages, or damages for loss of profits including but not limited to, damages for loss of goodwill, use, data, or other intangible losses (even if VCF has been advised of the possibility of such damages), whether based on contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, or otherwise, resulting from:

(i) the use or the inability to use the Service;

(ii) unauthorised access to or alteration of Your transmissions or data;

(iii) statements or conduct of any third party on the Service; or

(iv) any other matter relating to the Service.

For the Knowledge Exchange Platform, this includes but is not limited to: issues arising from user-contributed content, incorrect information shared by other users, or the unavailability of the Platform for technical reasons.

CONTENT DISCLAIMER

On its Website, VCF publishes its own publications and articles as well as links to other Websites, including information from its supporters, partners, colleagues or other relevant stakeholders.

VCF makes all reasonable efforts to ensure that the information on its Website is accurate at the time of publication. However, certain information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors, and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Information provided by users on the Knowledge Exchange Platform, including forum posts, uploaded documents, or shared case studies, represents the views and opinions of those individual users and not necessarily those of VCF. VCF does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any user-generated content.

VCF’s information provided on the Website reflects the opinions of the organisation only and cannot be constituted as legal or professional advice.

VCF reserves the right to modify information on this Website and to remove it.

If You find an error or incorrect information on one of our pages, please inform us.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

This includes, but is not limited to, content, copyrights, trademarks and registered design rights.

You acknowledge and agree that the Website may contain Content (text, articles, photographs, videos, logos and designs) that are protected by copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights and laws. Except as expressly authorized by VCF, You agree not to modify, copy, frame, scrape, rent, lease, loan, sell, distribute or create derivative works based on the Service or the Service Content, in whole or in part, except that the foregoing does not apply to Your own User Content (as defined below) that You legally upload to the Service.

The information published on VCF’s Website can be used without charge, provided that You indicate the source of the material. For content published on this Website, please reference the copyright ‘www.wildlifecrimeacademy.eu /Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF) – All rights reserved.’

User-Contributed Content:

1. By uploading or posting any content to the Platform, You grant VCF a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, display, and distribute such content for the purposes of training, collaboration and project evaluation, upon approval.
2. You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that You hold in the content You submit.
3. VCF may remove or restrict access to user-contributed content at its discretion, especially if it violates these Terms, applicable laws, or other users’ rights.

If You are not certain about the source of the information or about Your right to use any of the information published on the VCF Website, please contact us.

FORUM USE AND INTERACTIONS

The Knowledge Exchange Platform includes a discussion forum and collaborative spaces for sharing information. By participating, You agree to:

1. Not post or share any content that is unlawful, harmful, defamatory, discriminatory, or violates the privacy or rights of others.
2. Not share sensitive case information unless it is directly relevant to the project and permitted under applicable laws and agreements.
3. Respect role-based access controls — for example, some forum threads or resources may only be visible to certain cohorts, countries, or training levels.
4. Understand that your posts may be visible to other participants depending on access permissions.

VCF reserves the right to monitor, moderate, edit, or remove forum content without notice if it violates these rules.

LINKS TO OTHER WEB SITES

Our Service may contain links to third-party web sites or Services that are not owned or controlled by the VCF.

VCF has no control over, and assumes no responsibility or liability for, the content, privacy policies, practices, Services or potential damages caused by the use of any third party web sites mentioned and linked to this Website.

USER DISPUTES

You agree that You are solely responsible for Your interactions with any other User in connection with the Service and VCF will have no liability or responsibility with respect thereto.

For the Knowledge Exchange Platform, this includes disputes arising from forum discussions, uploaded content, or training evaluations.

VCF reserves the right, but has no obligation, to become involved in any way it deems necessary with disputes between You and any other User of the Service.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES

Your use of the Service is at Your sole risk. VCF expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind, whether express, implied or statutory, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement.

VCF makes no warranty that:

(i) the Service will meet Your requirements,

(ii) the Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free,

(iii) the results that may be obtained from the use of the Service will be accurate or reliable, or

(iv) the quality of any products, Services, information, or other material purchased or obtained by You through or in connection with the Service will meet Your expectations.

VCF makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, legality, or completeness of information shared by users within the Platform. Users are responsible for verifying the content before acting on it.

INDEMNITY AND RELEASE

You agree to release, indemnify and hold VCF and its affiliates and their officers, employees, directors and agents (collectively, “Indemnitees”) harmless from any from any and all losses, damages, expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, rights, claims, actions of any kind and injury (including death) arising out of or relating to your use of the Service, any User Content, your connection to the Service, your violation of these Terms of Service or your violation of any rights of another.

TRANSLATION INTERPRETATION

These Terms and Conditions may have been translated if We have made them available to You on our Service. You agree that the original English text shall prevail in the case of a dispute.

CHANGES

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to modify or replace these Terms at any time.

CONTACT US

If You have any questions about these Terms, please contact us.

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

V.1 [Last updated on September 2025]

The Vulture Conservation Foundation (“VCF“, “we“, “us“, “our“, “Organisation“), is an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) committed to the conservation of Europe’s vulture species. It is the coordinating beneficiary of the WildLIFE Crime Academy project. 

Thank You for choosing to learn more about our project and wildlife crim by visiting www.wildlifecrimeacademy.eu (the “Website”). 

The purpose of this Website includes, but is not limited to: 

1. Detailing our work and project activities,
2. Raising awareness about wildlife crime and its impacts,
3. Sharing project deliverables for transparency and accountability, 
4. Sharing relevant news and resources, and
5. Providing a secure, password-protected Knowledge Exchange Platform (“Platform”) for registered and approved individuals to collaborate, exchange information, and access training materials.

We here at the VCF greatly appreciate the support of individuals like You to carry out our vital conservation work. That is why we wish to be completely transparent about why we need the personal details we request when engaging with us and how we will use them. We are committed to protecting Your personal information and Your right to privacy. If You have any questions or concerns about this privacy notice, or our practices with regards to Your personal information, please send us an email.

In this privacy notice, we seek to explain to the User (“User“, “You“, “Your” means a person, organization or entity accessing or using the Website) in the clearest way possible what information we collect, how we use it and what rights You have in relation to it when You visit our Website or the Knowledge Exchange Platform, and more generally, use any of our Services (the “Services“, which include the Website). Please take some time to read through it carefully, as it is important. If there are any terms in this privacy notice that You do not agree with, please discontinue use of our Services immediately.

The Knowledge Exchange Platform involves additional data processing activities, including user registration, management of individual profiles, role-based access to training materials and forum discussions, and interaction between Users. This privacy notice therefore includes specific information on how personal data is collected, stored, shared, and protected within the Platform.

Please take some time to read through it carefully, as it is important. If there are any terms in this privacy notice that You do not agree with, please discontinue use of our Services immediately.

This privacy notice applies to all information collected through our Services, as well as, any related Services, communication or events. 

WHAT DATA DO WE COLLECT?

Personal information You disclose to us:

We collect personal information that You voluntarily provide to us when You express an interest in obtaining information about us or our products and Services, when You participate in activities on the Website, when You register for the knowledge exchange platform, when you participate in a training course or otherwise when You contact us.

The personal information that we collect depends on the context of Your interactions with us and the Website, the choices You make and the products and features You use. The personal information we collect may include the following:

Personal Information Provided by You:

We collect names; phone numbers; email addresses; mailing addresses; contact preferences; country of residence; profession or role; cohort or training level; and other similar information.

Knowledge Exchange Platform-Specific Data:

**When registering for or using the WildLIFE Crime Academy platform, we also collect data required to create and manage Your profile, such as:

1. name, country, email address,
2. profession and expertise area,
3. cohort assignment,
4. training level achieved,
5. t-shirt size (visible only to admins),
6. ID card number or other form of identification (visible only to admins),
7. profile biography,
8. activity history within the platform, including posts, uploads, and feedback.**

Certain parts of Your profile information may be visible to other registered users, for example, your name, country, training level, and professional expertise, to enable interaction, collaboration, and learning within the platform. Sensitive fields such as ID card number and t-shirt size will remain strictly private and visible only to administrators.

HOW DO WE COLLECT DATA?

You directly provide Our Company with most of the data we collect. We collect data and process data when You:

1. Voluntarily complete a survey or provide feedback via email.
2. Use or view our Website via Your browser’s cookies.
3. Subscribe to become part of our mailing list.
4. Register for either physical or virtual events (i.e. training courses) we organise.
5. Register and create a profile for the WildLIFE Crime Academy platform via a secure, private registration link.
6. Interact with other users on the password-protected platform, for example, by posting messages in the forum, uploading documents or images, or providing course feedback.

All personal information that You provide to us must be true, complete and accurate, and You must notify us of any changes to such personal information.

Information automatically collected

Our Company may also receive Your data automatically and indirectly from the following source:

1. Google Analytics tracks Users and collects data about their behaviour to provide insights such as how many Users You have, where they are from, and which pages they click on. Read how Google Analytics process and collect data. If You don’t want Your data to be used by Google Analytics, You can opt-out.

HOW DO WE USE YOUR DATA?

We use the information we collect or receive:

1. To create and manage Your platform account: Your personal information will be used to create, approve, and manage Your user profile and access rights within the WildLIFE Crime Academy platform. This includes controlling access to certain resources, forum threads, and learning materials based on Your role and training level.
2. To send administrative information to You: We may use Your personal information to send You product, Service and new feature information and/or information about changes to our terms, conditions, and policies.
3. To protect our Services: We may use Your information as part of our efforts to keep our Website safe and secure (for example, for fraud monitoring and prevention).
4. To enforce our terms, conditions and policies for business purposes, to comply with legal and regulatory requirements or in connection with our contract.
5. To enable interaction and collaboration between Users: Certain profile information such as Your name, country, training level, and expertise area will be visible to other approved platform participants and teachers to facilitate learning, networking, and discussion in the forum. Users may share messages, documents, images and other media within the platform.
6. To respond to legal requests and prevent harm: If we receive a subpoena or other legal request, we may need to inspect the data we hold to determine how to respond.
7. To send You informational communications: We may use the personal information You send to us for our communication purposes, if this is in accordance with Your contact preferences. For example, when expressing an interest in obtaining information about our us or our Website, subscribing to the newsletter or otherwise contacting us, we will collect personal information from You if You give us Your consent. You can update Your preferences or unsubscribe from the email list by clicking the relevant hyperlinks found in the footer of the emails we send to You.
8. We use Flodesk for our email marketing service. By clicking to subscribe to our mailing list, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Flodesk for processing. You can learn more about Flodesk’s privacy practices here. You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us or by contacting us. We will treat your information with respect.
9. Deliver targeted campaigns to You. We may use Your information to develop and display personalised content and campaigns tailored to Your interests and/or location and to measure its effectiveness.
10. For other purposes. We may use Your information for other purposes, such as data analysis, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of our campaigns and to evaluate and improve our Website, communication and Your experience. We may use and store this information in aggregated and anonymised form so that it is not associated with individual end Users and does not include personal information. We will not use identifiable personal information without Your consent.

WILL YOUR INFORMATION BE SHARED WITH ANYONE?

We only share information with Your consent, to comply with laws, to provide You with Services, to protect Your rights, or to fulfil business obligations.

Platform administrators, moderators, and designated teachers will have access to certain user data to manage profiles, assign access levels, evaluate participant progress, and moderate forum discussions. These individuals are bound by confidentiality obligations.

HOW DO WE STORE YOUR DATA?

The VCF securely stores Your data on password-protected computer systems.

1. All sensitive personal data related to the WildLIFE Crime Academy platform is stored securely and access is strictly limited to authorised administrators, moderators, and designated teachers.

HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?

We keep Your information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this privacy notice unless otherwise required by law.

If You request account deletion or withdrawal from the WildLIFE Crime Academy platform, Your personal data will be deleted within a reasonable period, except where retention is legally required.

However:

1. Content You have contributed to the platform, such as forum posts, uploaded documents, evaluation feedback, or shared resources, may not be automatically deleted when Your account is removed.
2. Depending on technical feasibility and project requirements, such contributions may either remain visible to other users or be anonymised so that they are no longer linked to You personally.
3. We will always take steps to limit access to any remaining data to what is strictly necessary.
4. We may also retain certain records or logs where necessary for security, auditing, reporting, or compliance purposes, but only for as long as required by law or our legitimate project obligations.

DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM MINORS?

We do not knowingly collect data from or market to children under 18 years of age.

MARKETING

The VCF would like to send You information about the work and campaigns relevant to our project that we think You might be interested in, as well as those of our relevant partners.

If You have agreed to receive marketing (such as email newsletter), You may always opt out at a later date.

WHAT ARE YOUR DATA PROTECTION RIGHTS?

Our Organisation would like to make sure You are fully aware of all of Your data protection rights. Every User is entitled to the following:

The right to access – You have the right to request Our Organisation for copies of Your personal data. We may charge You a small fee for this Service.