Advancing interdisciplinary science for disrupting wildlife trafficking networks

Wildlife trafficking, whether local or transnational in scope, undermines sustainable development efforts, degrades cultural resources, endangers species, erodes the local and global economy, and facilitates the spread of zoonotic diseases. Wildlife trafficking networks (WTNs) occupy a unique gray s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2023-03, Vol.120 (10), p.e2208268120-e2208268120
Main Authors: Gore, Meredith L, Griffin, Emily, Dilkina, Bistra, Ferber, Aaron, Griffis, Stanley E, Keskin, Burcu B, Macdonald, John
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptability
Animals
Animals, Wild
Concept Formation
Criminals
Cultural resources
Data Collection
Disruption
Global economy
Humans
Interdisciplinary aspects
Networks
Physical Sciences
Resilience
Social Sciences
Supply chains
Sustainable development
Wildlife
Wildlife Trade
Zoonoses
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Summary:Wildlife trafficking, whether local or transnational in scope, undermines sustainable development efforts, degrades cultural resources, endangers species, erodes the local and global economy, and facilitates the spread of zoonotic diseases. Wildlife trafficking networks (WTNs) occupy a unique gray space in supply chains-straddling licit and illicit networks, supporting legitimate and criminal workforces, and often demonstrating high resilience in their sourcing flexibility and adaptability. Authorities in different sectors desire, but frequently lack knowledge about how to allocate resources to disrupt illicit wildlife supply networks and prevent negative collateral impacts. Novel conceptualizations and a deeper scientific understanding of WTN structures are needed to help unravel the dynamics of interaction between disruption and resilience while accommodating socioenvironmental context. We use the case of ploughshare tortoise trafficking to help illustrate the potential of key advancements in interdisciplinary thinking. Insights herein suggest a significant need and opportunity for scientists to generate new science-based recommendations for WTN-related data collection and analysis for supply chain visibility, shifts in illicit supply chain dominance, network resilience, or limits of the supplier base.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.2208268120