Synthesizing knowledge on crime convergence and the illegal wildlife trade
The intensified illegal trade of wildlife has contributed to the unsustainable decline of wildlife populations, the de-stabilization of ecosystems, and threatens economic development and human security. Though often lacking empirical evidence, convergence theory has emerged recently as a topic of in...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2021-12-01
|
| Series: | Environmental Challenges |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010021002018 |
| _version_ | 1819097930005479424 |
|---|---|
| author | Michelle Anagnostou |
| author_facet | Michelle Anagnostou |
| author_sort | Michelle Anagnostou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The intensified illegal trade of wildlife has contributed to the unsustainable decline of wildlife populations, the de-stabilization of ecosystems, and threatens economic development and human security. Though often lacking empirical evidence, convergence theory has emerged recently as a topic of interest among researchers, practitioners, and the media to explain the growing overlap of criminal activities in an increasingly globalized world. In this paper, I explain the interdisciplinary theoretical foundations for the interconnectivity of criminal networks, including connections between illegal wildlife trade networks and non-state armed groups. I also outline and discuss various perspectives on the convergence of the illegal wildlife trade with other organized crime activities. I conclude by highlighting the urgent need for a better understanding of the role of the organized criminal groups involved in the illegal wildlife trade, and of how these groups converge with other types of criminal activities. The policy implications of filling in this knowledge gap are twofold: firstly, understanding how criminal networks converge can facilitate the implementation of more effective law enforcement and investigations that target high-profile offenders, as opposed to focusing on low-level poachers; and secondly, this understanding can foster more cooperation across agencies and jurisdictions to address multiple crime types and crime in convergence settings. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T00:22:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5a9fafbf3da24bdea94c1452e2bbfdc3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2667-0100 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T00:22:54Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Challenges |
| spelling | doaj.art-5a9fafbf3da24bdea94c1452e2bbfdc32022-12-21T18:45:07ZengElsevierEnvironmental Challenges2667-01002021-12-015100222Synthesizing knowledge on crime convergence and the illegal wildlife tradeMichelle Anagnostou0Environmental Management, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON CT2 7NR, CanadaThe intensified illegal trade of wildlife has contributed to the unsustainable decline of wildlife populations, the de-stabilization of ecosystems, and threatens economic development and human security. Though often lacking empirical evidence, convergence theory has emerged recently as a topic of interest among researchers, practitioners, and the media to explain the growing overlap of criminal activities in an increasingly globalized world. In this paper, I explain the interdisciplinary theoretical foundations for the interconnectivity of criminal networks, including connections between illegal wildlife trade networks and non-state armed groups. I also outline and discuss various perspectives on the convergence of the illegal wildlife trade with other organized crime activities. I conclude by highlighting the urgent need for a better understanding of the role of the organized criminal groups involved in the illegal wildlife trade, and of how these groups converge with other types of criminal activities. The policy implications of filling in this knowledge gap are twofold: firstly, understanding how criminal networks converge can facilitate the implementation of more effective law enforcement and investigations that target high-profile offenders, as opposed to focusing on low-level poachers; and secondly, this understanding can foster more cooperation across agencies and jurisdictions to address multiple crime types and crime in convergence settings.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010021002018Crime convergenceIllegal wildlife tradePoachingTransnational organized crimeWildlife crimeWildlife trafficking |
| spellingShingle | Michelle Anagnostou Synthesizing knowledge on crime convergence and the illegal wildlife trade Environmental Challenges Crime convergence Illegal wildlife trade Poaching Transnational organized crime Wildlife crime Wildlife trafficking |
| title | Synthesizing knowledge on crime convergence and the illegal wildlife trade |
| title_full | Synthesizing knowledge on crime convergence and the illegal wildlife trade |
| title_fullStr | Synthesizing knowledge on crime convergence and the illegal wildlife trade |
| title_full_unstemmed | Synthesizing knowledge on crime convergence and the illegal wildlife trade |
| title_short | Synthesizing knowledge on crime convergence and the illegal wildlife trade |
| title_sort | synthesizing knowledge on crime convergence and the illegal wildlife trade |
| topic | Crime convergence Illegal wildlife trade Poaching Transnational organized crime Wildlife crime Wildlife trafficking |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010021002018 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT michelleanagnostou synthesizingknowledgeoncrimeconvergenceandtheillegalwildlifetrade |