About this Research Topic
Crimes against wildlife range from poaching (which includes trapping and snaring); injuring and killing; to the illegal trade in prohibited or managed animals and plants; illegal logging; and illegal fishing. These crimes are in violation of national and international laws, and threaten global biodiversity, undermine global security and sustainable development, as well as depriving many developing nations of critical resources and social and economic development opportunities. These crimes are also transnational in nature, spanning every continent and affecting millions of species. They lead to biodiversity loss, contribute to the introduction of health threats, spread invasive species, overwhelm ecosystems, and affect the natural balance of our planet. Trafficking in wildlife is the fourth most profitable illicit enterprise alongside drugs, arms, and human trafficking, leading to a loss of an estimated $250 billion worth of natural resources (including fish and timber) each year. Recent years, in particular, have seen unprecedented rates in the growth of internationally-traded wildlife, which is considered by many to have escalated into a global crisis.
Understanding the nature and the score of crimes against wildlife is paramount. Combating wildlife crime is vital and urgently needed. While the scientific community is making significant efforts to identify ways to deal with various crimes against wildlife, there is urgent need for empirically-driven intervention strategies and tools essential to deal with these crimes more effectively. The aim of this Research Topic is to advance empirical understanding of the various dimensions of crimes against wildlife, whereas multi-dimensional approaches are combined to improve the protection, prevention, and management of the environment. This Research Topic, therefore, calls the global scientific community to mobilize its knowledge, strengths and skills to propose solutions to the problem. In particular, the present Topic aims:
• To stimulate multi-disciplinary discourse and dialogue about the nature and scope of crimes against wildlife
• To integrate different scientific perspectives and to advance knowledge about crimes against wildlife
• To promote state-of-the art research that relies on innovative analytical scientific methods to propose empirically-driven solutions to the various types of crimes against wildlife
The scope of this Research Topic is original empirical research that applies qualitative or quantitative methods to a specific conservation crime problem, utilizes innovative analytical methods, and proposes policy-relevant and empirically-driven solutions.
Image courtesy of Monique Sosnowski
Understanding the nature and the score of crimes against wildlife is paramount. Combating wildlife crime is vital and urgently needed. While the scientific community is making significant efforts to identify ways to deal with various crimes against wildlife, there is urgent need for empirically-driven intervention strategies and tools essential to deal with these crimes more effectively. The aim of this Research Topic is to advance empirical understanding of the various dimensions of crimes against wildlife, whereas multi-dimensional approaches are combined to improve the protection, prevention, and management of the environment. This Research Topic, therefore, calls the global scientific community to mobilize its knowledge, strengths and skills to propose solutions to the problem. In particular, the present Topic aims:
• To stimulate multi-disciplinary discourse and dialogue about the nature and scope of crimes against wildlife
• To integrate different scientific perspectives and to advance knowledge about crimes against wildlife
• To promote state-of-the art research that relies on innovative analytical scientific methods to propose empirically-driven solutions to the various types of crimes against wildlife
The scope of this Research Topic is original empirical research that applies qualitative or quantitative methods to a specific conservation crime problem, utilizes innovative analytical methods, and proposes policy-relevant and empirically-driven solutions.
Image courtesy of Monique Sosnowski
Keywords: wildlife, crime, poaching, trapping, snaring, trade, trafficking
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
