Title
What Doesn't Work Against Wildlife Trafficking: Learning From Asia.
Author(s)
Diment, Alex
Published
2017
Abstract
The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is a substantial threat to many threatened species. Strong demand for exotic products, often driven by cultural norms in the vast human populations in Asia, has led to transnational wildlife trafficking becoming a major conservation concern. Countries with strong domestic demand, and their near neighbors, have faced huge pressures on wild populations in recent decades, and have applied a range of measures against the trade, with varying degrees of success. Continued demand and dwindling supply is now spreading these pressures further afield, with transcontinental trade becoming increasingly common. There is potential to learn from the experiences of Asia and apply this to other regions, though monitoring the impacts of interventions is often poor, and experience is seldom formally shared, especially in the case of failure. This talk intends to support learning the lessons from research and experience in Asia, and how they could apply to IWT in Latin America. I will assess the evidence-base for interventions, in particular examining several failures to protect high-commercial value wildlife. While demand reduction and trafficking prevention are important long-term interventions, preventing poaching in-situ is fundamental for ensuring the persistence of wildlife.
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PUB27062