Wildlife Crime: Politics, People, and Prevention

Within the scientific community, wildlife crime has long been within the purview of natural scientists, especially conservation biologists. This attention is not surprising given the potentially devastating impact that wildlife crime can have on wild habitats and species populations. Increasingly, social scientists have become involved in the inter- and trans-disciplinary assessment of wildlife crime. Political scientists, geographers, economists, anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, and criminologists have all provided insight on the complexities that form and shape crimes against the environment, as well as the responses to such acts. Indeed, calls for further developing and incorporating the social sciences to better understand and integrate the human dimensions of conservation have recently been put forth (Bennett et al. 2017).

This push to further integrate the natural and social sciences in order to address a wicked problem (Rittel and Webber 1973) like wildlife crime is warranted, particularly given that crime as well as the politics and policies that surround it are socially constructed and grounded within distinct sociopolitical, cultural, and economic settings. Furthermore, wildlife crime converges and overlaps with other illicit activities, including corruption (van Uhm and Moreto 2018) and transnational organized crime (Zimmerman 2003). Even rebel activity (Naylor 2005) may at times include wildlife crime. These potential links and threats to national security have led political leaders and international organizations to take wildlife crime more seriously. For example, in 2013 US then-President Barack Obama signed an executive order focused on combating wildlife trafficking. More recently, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime published the first global report on wildlife crime (UN Office on Drugs and Crime 2016). Given the growing attention placed on wildlife crime, it is not surprising that the three books reviewed in this essay have been published within a relatively short time. All three are timely and relevant, and they all contribute to the growing literature on wildlife crime in constructive and important ways.

In Exploiting the Wilderness, Greg Warchol provides an excellent overview of wildlife crime, particularly the poaching and illegal trading of fauna in Africa. In introducing the reader to the characteristics and dynamics of wildlife crime, Warchol integrates the existing literature with his own fieldwork throughout Africa to provide a comprehensive, yet concise, discussion of the topic. With his background as a criminologist, Warchol also does a fantastic job of highlighting the role of criminological research in the study of wildlife crime. Vanda Felbab-Brown's The Extinction Market also presents a detailed and in-depth assessment of the current state of illegal wildlife markets. The information for the book is drawn from the existing literature, and Felbab-Brown's own field experience in Eastern and Southern Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia provides needed context.

The role of context is also relevant when considering the underlying and overarching politics that impact wildlife crime. In Wildlife Politics, Bruce Rocheleau examines factors, particularly the US Endangered Species Act, that influence conservation politics and policy. He asks important questions, including what influences conservation policy and whom conservation is for. He does not shy away from attempting to address these difficult questions, providing readers with a well-written introduction to wildlife politics.

While each author clearly has a specific audience and objective in mind, all three books emphasize the importance of better understanding the policies used to address wildlife crimes by assessing three key components: the politics of conservation, the people participating in and affected by wildlife crime, and the strategies used to prevent wildlife crime. Not surprisingly, among the three books, Wildlife Politics is the most detailed in delving into the intricacies and nuances that impact the politics of conservation, particularly in the US. Rocheleau underscores the influential role of legislative and executive institutions, courts, interest groups, and media coverage as relevant to the development of US wildlife polices and legislation, as well as the...