Exploiting the Wilderness: An Analysis of Wildlife Crime by Greg L. Warchol (review)

Illegal wildlife trade is one of today's foremost challenges, and it has caused heated debates in contemporary conservation narratives, especially concerning how to address it in the face of the risk of extinction of some species. The book offers an eagle's-eye view by parsing the broad spectrum of issues related to illegal wildlife trade from the local to the global scale, with a focus on the "activities of individuals, informal networks, and criminal syndicates that target a range of animals and plants for personal use and profit" (5). The content of this book is clear, simple, concise, and layperson-friendly while being useful as a quick reference guide for experts. The author speaks from experience to give an empirically based exposition of, for instance, the intricate networks of illegal wildlife trade syndicates in particular countries in eastern and southern Africa, where he traveled extensively for more than fourteen years.

Getting to the core of the illegal wildlife trade requires some explanation of the crime and its causes. Warchol finds no "simple explanation of this offense," as it is "driven by a myriad of influences that are the product of historical developments, opportunities[,] and consumer trends" (77). There is no better way to present this conundrum, which refers to how these historical developments shifted human–nature relations in ownership of, access to, and ultimately benefits derived from natural resources. For example, the transition from traditional African systems of managing wildlife resources to the colonial system of protected areas and private property rights (at the expense of people as they were relocated, marginalized, and eventually alienated from wildlife) caused tension between colonial powers and the dispossessed. As if that were not enough, the slow rate of land reform and genuine effort to mainstream the marginalized, which has been witnessed in the aftermath of the transition to self-rule in some African states, has perpetuated this skewed relationship, mired in resentment and resulting in further marginalization.

In the same vein, there is a need to understand the markets that fuel the illegal wildlife trade. Warchol's use of descriptive social science research and applied criminological theory is helpful in this regard. It is the story of the poacher who always hogs the limelight, while in fact, he is only part of a long distribution chain, which eventually feeds the silent but rich consumer far afield. For this reason, one would argue that inasmuch as Exploiting Wilderness defines the "trade in wildlife" from the onset by focusing on the "legal and illegal components" (2), there is a need to problematize poaching in conjunction with consumer demand, as these concerns are not mutually exclusive to the distribution chain of wildlife products. This is because local communities shoulder the blame as poachers, right at the beginning of the distribution chain. They bear the brunt of deprivation while living close to wildlife, and they face a state that has to coordinate the safeguarding of wildlife resources. This is a tall order for developing nations (which constitute the major source of illegally traded wildlife products), burdened with numerous other primary challenges, which require huge financial resources and institutional capacity. The entrenchment of militarized approaches to conservation has become a bone of contention from a human rights perspective, despite efforts toward strengthening the justice delivery system.

Exploiting the Wilderness is a welcome contribution for attempting to expose the complexities of the illegal wildlife trade. It ends by outlining potential scenarios to provide various points of departure for those with a passion for species survival, sustainable communities, and stable states through collectively nurturing and equitably harnessing their natural resources.