In the post-COVID-19 era, is the illegal wildlife trade the most serious form of trafficking?

Lessons in resilience from the illegal wildlife trade during COVID-19 lockdowns

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unexpected event with far-reaching long-term economic, political, and social consequences, entailing disruptive changes with potentially existence- and livelihood threatening consequences. Lessons in resilience from illegal economies such as the illegal wildlife trade could help society better cope with harms and risk from global environmental change. We critically review the Frictions and Flows framework and the case of the illegal wildlife trade-a globally distributed form of nature crime-in South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia-countries with different responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Diverse frictions and flows were, and continue to be, documented in the illegal wildlife economies of each country through and after pandemic lockdowns, demonstrating resilience, adaptability, and innovation. We point to market features and characteristics prevalent in the anthroposphere that appear to render actors and markets more resilient, shock-resistant, and flexible. Without advocating for operating outside the rule of law and with overt recognition for the destructive impacts of illicit trades on sustainable development, political stability, and global security, we identify three observations relevant to resilience and global environmental change that scientists of the total environment may be critically missing.

Current wildlife crime (Indian scenario): major challenges and prevention approaches

The constant depletion of wild flora and fauna in India due to uncontrolled human activities, natural habitat destruction and covert poaching activities is threatening the ecological balance. The poaching and trafficking of wild species in the lure of money as well as fashion has wiped out a range of wildlife species that call for critical attention to tackle this menace. There are many transit routes through the states of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam, which are major hubs for wildlife trafficking in India, in both domestic and international markets. The poaching of wild animals and plants slowly erases biodiversity, which in turn affects the survival of humans and other living species. Therefore, there is an urgent need to check ongoing wildlife crimes, raise the number of endangered species, rehabilitate exotic/extinct species and restore natural ecosystems. In this article, we collected wildlife crime data from web portals of various stakeholders, government agencies and authentic news sources, and discuss the current crime trends, challenges, and prevention approaches required to control and restore wildlife biodiversity in India.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10531-023-02577-z.