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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.