Volume 18, Issue 4, December 2016, Pages 1047–1055
Mercy Tabi Obasi1 and Ezra Lekwot Vivan2
1 Department of Environmental Management, Kaduna State University, Nigeria
2 Department of Environmental Management, Kaduna State University, Nigeria
Original language: English
Copyright © 2016 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This paper reviews wildlife crime in developing countries, its effects on rural livelihoods and the measures taken to curb it. The key question is whether the efforts made by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) and other organizations in conjunction with various nations is paying off. While efforts by CITES are being lauded, individuals and governments have violated the laws that regulate exports, imports and re-exports of wild. Thus, this crime has pushed such species, especially the endangered species to the brink of extinction, hence impacting on the livelihoods of the rural poor. Rural poverty, food insecurity, corruption, lack of law enforcement, corporate crime, lack of legislation, conflicts, and increasing demand have been identified as the main drivers of this crime. Trade suspensions of non-compliance nations by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora, seizures of wildlife species and products as well as strengthening of law enforcement, coordination between nations, and raising public awareness through workshops, conferences and the media have been some of the solutions embarked on to solve this crime. To achieve a more sustainable economic growth in developing nations, tackling the crime suggest priority attention be given to this resource and tougher sanctions be carried out by CITES and other international and national organizations.
Author Keywords: Wildlife, Wildlife crime, Livelihood, Rural livelihood, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora.
Mercy Tabi Obasi1 and Ezra Lekwot Vivan2
1 Department of Environmental Management, Kaduna State University, Nigeria
2 Department of Environmental Management, Kaduna State University, Nigeria
Original language: English
Copyright © 2016 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
This paper reviews wildlife crime in developing countries, its effects on rural livelihoods and the measures taken to curb it. The key question is whether the efforts made by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) and other organizations in conjunction with various nations is paying off. While efforts by CITES are being lauded, individuals and governments have violated the laws that regulate exports, imports and re-exports of wild. Thus, this crime has pushed such species, especially the endangered species to the brink of extinction, hence impacting on the livelihoods of the rural poor. Rural poverty, food insecurity, corruption, lack of law enforcement, corporate crime, lack of legislation, conflicts, and increasing demand have been identified as the main drivers of this crime. Trade suspensions of non-compliance nations by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora, seizures of wildlife species and products as well as strengthening of law enforcement, coordination between nations, and raising public awareness through workshops, conferences and the media have been some of the solutions embarked on to solve this crime. To achieve a more sustainable economic growth in developing nations, tackling the crime suggest priority attention be given to this resource and tougher sanctions be carried out by CITES and other international and national organizations.
Author Keywords: Wildlife, Wildlife crime, Livelihood, Rural livelihood, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora.
How to Cite this Article
Mercy Tabi Obasi and Ezra Lekwot Vivan, “WILDLIFE CRIME AND RURAL LIVELIHOODS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES,” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 1047–1055, December 2016.
