Title of Book/Report

Exploiting the Wilderness: An analysis of wildlife crime

Department

Criminal Justice

Document Type

Book

Place of Publication

Philadelphia, PA

Publisher

Temple University Press

Year of Publication

2017

Description

"I have spent many years in Africa watching elephants, rhinos, and other animals that are now being pushed toward extinction by the horrific wildlife trade. Greg Warchol writes about this from years of his own personal research, covering all angles. For anyone wanting to learn more about the problem, and possible solutions, I highly recommend this book."
—Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, United Nations Messenger of Peace

Illegally harvested ivory and endangered plants, mammals, reptiles, birds, and even insects are easily found for sale throughout East and Southern Africa. And this is just one part of the multi-billion-dollar illegal global trade in wildlife.

Wildlife is an important and even vital asset for both intrinsic and economic reasons. Yet it is illegally exploited on a massive scale to the point where some species now risk extinction. Exploiting the Wilderness provides a concise overview of this shameful business, describing some of the main species being exploited and examining select wildlife whose survival is imperiled due to heavy pressure from poachers to meet consumer demand.

Greg Warchol draws on his firsthand experience and research in Africa to examine the structure and operation of the illegal trade in wildlife. He identifies the participants as well as their motivations and operations, and explains the behavior of poachers, traffickers, and consumers of illegally obtained goods. He concludes with a description of legislative and law enforcement efforts to control and prevent wildlife exploitation along with a number of contemporary conservation initiatives designed to improve the ability of rangers to protect wildlife.

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