tag:theconversation.com,2011:/es/topics/illegal-poaching-44810/articlesIllegal poaching – The Conversation2021-03-11T18:03:42Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1568382021-03-11T18:03:42Z2021-03-11T18:03:42ZCOVID-19 wasn’t just a disaster for humanity – new research shows nature suffered greatly too<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388976/original/file-20210311-15-lf7i9h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C7%2C4804%2C2891&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32191675/">one year</a> since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. While the human and economic toll have been enormous, new findings show the fallout from the virus also seriously damaged nature.</p>
<p>Conservation is often funded by tourism dollars – particularly in developing nations. In many cases, the dramatic tourism downturn brought on by the pandemic meant funds for conservation were cut. Anti-poaching operations and endangered species programs were among those affected.</p>
<p>This dwindling of conservation efforts during COVID is sadly ironic. The destruction of nature is directly linked to zoonotic diseases, and avoiding habitat loss is a cost-effective way to prevent pandemics.</p>
<p>The research papers reveal the inextricable links between the health of humans and the health of the planet. Together, they make one thing abundantly clear: we must learn the hard lessons of COVID-19 to ensure the calamity is not repeated.</p>
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<img alt="A gorilla and man wearing mask" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388974/original/file-20210311-18-9j8lht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388974/original/file-20210311-18-9j8lht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388974/original/file-20210311-18-9j8lht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388974/original/file-20210311-18-9j8lht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388974/original/file-20210311-18-9j8lht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388974/original/file-20210311-18-9j8lht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388974/original/file-20210311-18-9j8lht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Protected areas are a boon for nature, and can help prevent pandemics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jerome Starkey</span></span>
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<h2>A disaster for conservation</h2>
<p>The findings are contained in a <a href="https://parksjournal.com/parks-27-si-march-2021/">special issue</a> of PARKS, the peer-reviewed journal of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, co-edited with Brent Mitchell and Adrian Phillips.</p>
<p>Researchers found <a href="https://parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Spenceley_et_al10.2305-IUCN.CH_.2021.PARKS-27-SIAS.en_.pdf">between</a> January and May 2020, 45% of global tourism destinations totally or partially closed their borders to tourists. This caused the loss of 174 million direct tourism jobs around the world, and cost the sector US$4.7 trillion.</p>
<p>Over-dependence on tourism to fund conservation is fraught with peril. For example in Namibia, initial estimates suggested communal wildlife conservancies could lose US$10 million in direct tourism revenues. This threatened funding for 700 game guards and 300 conservancy management employees. </p>
<p>It also threatened the viability of 61 joint venture tourism lodges employing 1,400 community members. This forced families to rely more heavily on natural resource extraction to survive.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-is-a-wake-up-call-our-war-with-the-environment-is-leading-to-pandemics-135023">Coronavirus is a wake-up call: our war with the environment is leading to pandemics</a>
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<img alt="Closed entrance to Grand Canyon national park" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388955/original/file-20210311-15-xf01q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388955/original/file-20210311-15-xf01q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388955/original/file-20210311-15-xf01q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388955/original/file-20210311-15-xf01q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388955/original/file-20210311-15-xf01q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388955/original/file-20210311-15-xf01q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388955/original/file-20210311-15-xf01q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Around the world, the pandemic forced the closure of national parks - including the Grand Canyon, pictured here.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lani Strange/AP</span></span>
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<p>Emergency funds were raised to cover critical shortfalls. However in April 2020, rhinos were poached in a communal conservancy in Namibia – the first such event in two years. Researchers believe this may have been linked to the pandemic fallout.</p>
<p><a href="https://parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Waithaka_et_al_10.2305-IUCN.CH_.2021.PARKS-27-SIJW.en_-1.pdf">More than 70%</a> of African countries reported reduced monitoring of the illegal wildlife trade as a result of the pandemic. More than half reported impacts on the protection of endangered species, conservation education and outreach, regular field patrols and anti-poaching operations.</p>
<p>Rangers have also been hard hit. A <a href="https://parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Singh_et_al10.2305-IUCN.CH_.2021.PARKS-27-SIRS.en_-1.pdf">global survey of nearly 1,000 rangers</a> found more than one in four had their salaries reduced or delayed due to COVID-related budget cuts. A third of all rangers in Central and South America, Africa and Caribbean countries reported being laid off. Some 90% said vital work with local communities had reduced or ceased.</p>
<p>In more bad news, governments of <a href="https://parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Golden_Kroner_et_al10.2305-IUCN.CH_.2021.PARKS-27-SIRGK.en_.pdf">at least 22 countries</a> used the pandemic as a reason to weaken environmental protections for protected and conserved areas, or cut their budgets. </p>
<p>Many of the changes allowed large-scale infrastructure (such as roads, airports, pipelines, hydropower plants and housing) and extractive activities (such as coal, oil and gas development and industrial fishing). Brazil, India and, until recently, the United States have emerged as hotspots of COVID-era rollbacks.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/un-report-says-up-to-850-000-animal-viruses-could-be-caught-by-humans-unless-we-protect-nature-148911">UN report says up to 850,000 animal viruses could be caught by humans, unless we protect nature</a>
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<img alt="Man holds up leopard skin" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388954/original/file-20210311-23-1l5p1x2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388954/original/file-20210311-23-1l5p1x2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388954/original/file-20210311-23-1l5p1x2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388954/original/file-20210311-23-1l5p1x2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388954/original/file-20210311-23-1l5p1x2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388954/original/file-20210311-23-1l5p1x2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388954/original/file-20210311-23-1l5p1x2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">When poverty strikes, vulnerable people can turn to poaching and other illegal means to survive.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">James Morgan/AP/WWF-Canon</span></span>
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<h2>Humans and animals pushed closer</h2>
<p>SARS-COV-2 is very similar to other viruses in bats, and may have been passed to humans via another animal species. The pandemic shows the potentially devastating outcomes when animals and humans are forced into closer contact in shrinking habitats – for example, as a result of forest destruction.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Ferreira_et_al_10.2305-IUCN.CH_.2021.PARKS-27-SIMNF.en_-1.pdf">one paper</a> found, during the last century an average of two new viruses spilled from animals to humans each year. These include Ebola and SARS.</p>
<p>Clearly, investment is needed to preserve the world’s protected and conserved areas, ensuring they act as a buffer against new pandemics. <a href="https://parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Cumming_et_al10.2305-IUCN.CH_.2021.PARKS-27-SITC.en_.pdf">One study</a> puts the required spending at US$67 billion each year – and notes only about one-third of this is currently being spent. </p>
<p>While it’s undoubtedly a large sum, the International Monetary Fund <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/oct/13/imf-covid-cost-world-economic-outlook">estimated</a> late last year the pandemic would cause US$28 trillion in lost economic output in 2020.</p>
<p>Like many zoonotic epidemics, it appears COVID-19 was caused by the trade in wildlife and wild meat consumption. But diseases caused by uncontrolled land-use change – often for agriculture and livestock production – are just as dangerous.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Reaser_et_al10.2305-IUCN.CH_.2021.PARKS-27-SIJKR.en_-1.pdf">greatest risk</a>, according to one group of researchers, is in forested tropical regions where land use is changing and a rich variety of mammal species are present. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/most-laws-ignore-human-wildlife-conflict-this-makes-us-vulnerable-to-pandemics-135191">Most laws ignore ‘human-wildlife conflict’. This makes us vulnerable to pandemics</a>
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<img alt="Rangers managing forest with fire." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388979/original/file-20210311-14-1gm7hv2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388979/original/file-20210311-14-1gm7hv2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388979/original/file-20210311-14-1gm7hv2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388979/original/file-20210311-14-1gm7hv2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388979/original/file-20210311-14-1gm7hv2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388979/original/file-20210311-14-1gm7hv2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388979/original/file-20210311-14-1gm7hv2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Investment is needed in protected areas to ensure important conservation and land management continues.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<h2>2021: a crucial year</h2>
<p>As the special issue’s co-editors <a href="https://parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/PARKS-27-SI-Editors-postscript.pdf">argue</a>, if COVID-19 is not enough to make humanity wake up to the “suicidal consequences” of misguided development, then how will future calamities be avoided?</p>
<p>The cost of effectively maintaining protected and conserved natural areas is a small fraction of the cost of dealing with the pandemic and getting economies moving again. Imagine, for a moment, if the effort put into the development of vaccines were applied in the same measure to addressing the root causes of zoonotic pandemics.</p>
<p>In 2021, a series of international meetings will be held to decide how to stabilise our climate, save biodiversity, secure human health and revive the global economy. Through these events should run a golden thread: learn the lessons of COVID-19 by protecting nature and restoring damaged ecosystems.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/156838/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marc Hockings has received funding from the Australian Research Council, several Australian Governments and international conservation organisations. He is affiliated with IUCN, The International Union for Conservation of Nature and is Managing Editor of PARKS: The International Journal of Protected Areas and Conservation</span></em></p>Global conservation efforts have suffered during the COVID-19 outbreak. It’s sadly ironic, because avoiding habitat loss is a cost-effective way to prevent pandemics.Marc Hockings, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Management, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1014562018-08-16T23:02:35Z2018-08-16T23:02:35ZThe majority of people who see poaching in marine parks say nothing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231809/original/file-20180813-2915-1km0h86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Marine parks protect fragile ecosystems, like coral reefs.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Justin Rizzari</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>What would you do if you saw someone breaking the law? Would you report the offender to the police? Confront them? Or would you do nothing? </p>
<p>We recently asked more than 2,000 fishers in seven countries what they would do if they saw a poacher in a protected marine area. </p>
<p>Poaching – the illegal harvest of animals – plagues many of the world’s marine protected areas. Illegal fishing undermines marine parks, and can threaten chronically over-fished species. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-tackle-the-rising-tide-of-poaching-in-australias-tropical-seas-70640">How to tackle the rising tide of poaching in Australia's tropical seas</a>
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<p>A key problem is the lack of enforcement resources. An <a href="http://www.ucipfg.com/Repositorio/MGAP/MGAP-10/SEMANA5/Lectura%202_Semana5.pdf">increasing number</a> of <a href="https://kundoc.com/pdf-a-sea-change-on-the-african-coast-preliminary-social-and-ecological-outcomes-of-.html">governments</a> and <a href="http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/media-room/latest-news/compliance/2016/public-urged-to-report-suspected-illegal-fishing-and-help-protect-the-reef">management agencies</a> are encouraging fishers to help, by understanding marine protection rules and reporting poachers. </p>
<p>Yet little is known about how fishers respond when they witness poaching.</p>
<h2>If you see something, say…nothing</h2>
<p>We surveyed more than 2,000 fishers near 55 marine protected areas in Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Costa Rica, and Australia, asking if they had recently seen someone poaching – and if so, what they did. </p>
<p>We found nearly half had witnessed poaching in the last 12 months, and the most common response was to do nothing. </p>
<p>This was particularly prevalent on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, where nearly 80% of fishers did nothing after observing poaching. In six of the seven countries we surveyed, fishers said their inaction was because they wanted to avoid conflict – a sensible strategy in places such as Costa Rica, where illegal drugs are commonly trafficked on boats from South America to the USA. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-poachers-persist-in-hunting-bushmeat-even-though-its-dangerous-95047">Why poachers persist in hunting bushmeat -- even though it's dangerous</a>
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<p>However, avoiding conflict was rarely the rationale around the Great Barrier Reef. Fishers in the Reef cited three main reasons for inaction: </p>
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<li> uncertainty as to whether it was illegal fishing</li>
<li> a belief it was not their concern or responsibility</li>
<li> perceived obstacles to reporting (such as not knowing where or how to report).</li>
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<p>Given the growing concern over the health and future of the Reef, it’s important to enlist fishers in the fight against poachers. Encouragingly, many of the reasons for inaction can be fixed with better education and community outreach efforts. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231810/original/file-20180813-2915-1t1z5n4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231810/original/file-20180813-2915-1t1z5n4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231810/original/file-20180813-2915-1t1z5n4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231810/original/file-20180813-2915-1t1z5n4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231810/original/file-20180813-2915-1t1z5n4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231810/original/file-20180813-2915-1t1z5n4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231810/original/file-20180813-2915-1t1z5n4.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Poaching plagues the world’s marine protected areas, largely due to a lack of enforcement resources. Fishers like the one above may be able to provide much needed surveillance and reporting, but care needs to be taken to ensure they are not put at risk in doing so.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Brock Bergseth</span></span>
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<p>For instance, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority already has a <a href="http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/report-an-incident">hotline</a> that fishers can call to report suspected poaching. But we found fishers regularly said they did not know how or where to report.</p>
<p>Promoting the hotline – perhaps by publicising times when it led to a poacher being fined or charged – would serve a double-purpose. It would be more accessible to legitimate fishers, and act as a deterrent. Our past research has found that a perceived <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fee.1457">low risk of detection</a> acts as a motivation to poach.</p>
<h2>Legitimate fishers want to help</h2>
<p>It’s important to remember the vast majority of all fishers on the Great Barrier Reef do not poach. Almost all fishers think poaching is both <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X17306772">socially and personally unacceptable</a>.</p>
<p>But <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X17306772">previous research</a> suggests poachers <em>do</em> tend to over estimate how common poaching is. This is called “false consensus effect” in psychology, and helps poachers to justify their poaching behaviours because they believe “everyone else does it”.</p>
<p>By promoting understanding of anti-poaching rules, and actively enlisting fishers as environmental stewards, we can reduce the (false) idea that poaching is common, justifiable and harmless. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-its-so-hard-to-fight-fisheries-crime-49837">Why it's so hard to fight fisheries crime</a>
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<p>Defending environmental rights can be a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/02/without-a-solution-to-the-poaching-crisis-death-of-conservationists-continue-ben-fogle">risky business</a> and can expose fishers to potentially harmful retaliation by poachers; we certainly don’t suggest fishers take the law into their own hands if they witness poaching. </p>
<p>But there are many non-risky ways for fishers to report poaching, such as hotlines in the case of the Great Barrier Reef. Promoting these avenues can help address the enforcement shortfall that is severely limiting the success of marine parks around the world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101456/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brock Bergseth received funding for this project in the form of a PhD scholarship from The Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Georgina Gurney receives funding from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joshua Cinner receives funding from The Australian Research Council, the Pew Charitable Trust, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, and the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association. </span></em></p>What would you do if you saw a fisher breaking the law? Would you report the offender to the police? Confront them? Or would you do nothing? These choices affect the future of marine protected areas.Brock Bergseth, Postdoctoral research fellow, James Cook UniversityGeorgina Gurney, Environmental Social Science Research Fellow, James Cook UniversityJoshua Cinner, Professor & ARC Future Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence, Coral Reef Studies, James Cook UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/929872018-03-11T19:04:33Z2018-03-11T19:04:33ZIvory up in flames, but who really noticed? How messages on elephant poaching might be missed<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209258/original/file-20180307-146691-bwqfos.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The world's biggest burn of illegal ivory.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniel Stiles</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The tusks of more than ten thousand elephants <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/160430-kenya-record-breaking-ivory-burn/">went up in flames in Kenya</a> on April 30, 2016 – the world’s largest ever ivory burn. It was meant as a powerful display against poaching and the illegal ivory trade. </p>
<p>But did those flames reach their intended target?</p>
<p>Currently, governments, donors and NGOs aren’t monitoring the impact of these ivory burns. So we tracked the media coverage of the Kenyan burn, with the results <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13097">published this month in Conservation Biology</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/publish-and-dont-perish-how-to-keep-rare-species-data-away-from-poachers-80239">Publish and don’t perish – how to keep rare species' data away from poachers</a>
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<h2>Who got the message?</h2>
<p>We had a simple question in mind with this research: did news of this burn make its way to ivory consumers and elephant poachers, and if so was the message one that denounced poaching?</p>
<p>The answer is a bit nuanced. Certainly the news of the ivory burn was strong (loud and clear) locally in Kenya and Tanzania and heavily amplified by news outlets across the western world (81% of online <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/world/africa/kenya-burns-poached-elephant-ivory-uhuru-kenyatta.html">articles on the burn</a> were produced in the United States).</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209261/original/file-20180307-146700-1q88em6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209261/original/file-20180307-146700-1q88em6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209261/original/file-20180307-146700-1q88em6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209261/original/file-20180307-146700-1q88em6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209261/original/file-20180307-146700-1q88em6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209261/original/file-20180307-146700-1q88em6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=745&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209261/original/file-20180307-146700-1q88em6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=745&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209261/original/file-20180307-146700-1q88em6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=745&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Filming the destruction of the ivory.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniel Stiles</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>Unfortunately, we found low coverage of the burn in China, Vietnam and other countries where demand for illegal ivory is highest. </p>
<p>Of the 1,944 online articles that covered the burn in the countries sampled, only 61 were produced in mainland China. Additionally, more than half of the coverage in China was in English-language publications, which may not reach or resonate with all key ivory consumers.</p>
<p>The good news is, media stories around the ivory burn delivered an anti-poaching message. They stressed the importance of burns, ivory trade bans and law enforcement to catch poachers, smugglers and dealers, as key steps to saving elephants.</p>
<h2>To burn or not to burn?</h2>
<p>The authors on our research paper are a group of scientists and conservationists with diverse backgrounds, across Africa, North America, Australia, Europe and Asia. Our values are as diverse as our experiences.</p>
<p>Most of us feel a bit of sadness because watching elephant tusks engulfed in flames is a reminder of elephant slaughter. </p>
<p>For some of us though, the sadness is tempered by feelings of hope and justice – this is ivory that will never go into the hands of illegal dealers and ivory consumers and, as such, acts as a major deterrent. </p>
<p>But for others, the response was upsetting – animals had been murdered, and to add insult to injury, their remains wasted.</p>
<p>In the Kenyan burn, the ivory was estimated to be worth more than US$100 million (A$128 million) on the black market.</p>
<p>These stockpiles of ivory are an unfortunate reality. Ivory is harvested by elephant poachers. Between 2007 and 2014 an <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/2354/">estimated 144,000 elephants were killed</a>. If we are lucky, these poachers are caught and their ivory confiscated. Piles of seized ivory accumulate in massive stockpiles across Africa.</p>
<p>So this poses a difficult situation. What should we do with all that ivory?</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209262/original/file-20180307-146675-1qlzxs3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209262/original/file-20180307-146675-1qlzxs3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209262/original/file-20180307-146675-1qlzxs3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209262/original/file-20180307-146675-1qlzxs3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209262/original/file-20180307-146675-1qlzxs3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209262/original/file-20180307-146675-1qlzxs3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209262/original/file-20180307-146675-1qlzxs3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209262/original/file-20180307-146675-1qlzxs3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The haul of illegal ivory, before the burn. Could it be put to better use?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniel Stiles</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>We’d all, obviously, rather see ivory where it belongs, on live elephants. In an ideal world ivory would only be collected, if at all, from elephants that died from natural causes and so trade in this product would not be a problem.</p>
<p>But the world isn’t ideal. Even though the price of ivory has declined, elephant tusks have been known to fetch up to <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-lieberman-phd/as-the-price-of-ivory-fal_b_8885416.html">US$10,000</a> (A$12,800). With the financial incentive to poach so high, it sometimes seems like an insurmountable problem.</p>
<h2>Ivory for conservation</h2>
<p>Some of us believe that destroying ivory sends a strong message against poaching and illegal ivory trade – by saying that ivory is only valuable on a living elephant. </p>
<p>These members of our group think that we might as well burn these stockpiles, to demonstrate that trade should never be supported (as it cannot be adequately policed). They are heartened by the adoption of ivory trade bans by <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-42532017">China</a> and the <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/02/480494835/new-u-s-ban-on-ivory-sales-to-protect-elephants">United States</a>. </p>
<p>But others in the group think destroying a quantity of ivory – worth far more on the black market than Kenya’s entire annual wildlife management budget – squanders an opportunity to sell the ivory. </p>
<p>The money could then be used to conserve elephants and other endangered wildlife (although pro-trade proponents acknowledge that there are implementation issues regarding corruption and policing efficacy). </p>
<p>To these members of our group, burning the ivory would be like burning cash in front of a person with no food or shelter.</p>
<p>Deep down inside, we all have one common goal, to save elephants.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209266/original/file-20180307-146675-1k4d9p5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209266/original/file-20180307-146675-1k4d9p5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209266/original/file-20180307-146675-1k4d9p5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=286&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209266/original/file-20180307-146675-1k4d9p5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=286&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209266/original/file-20180307-146675-1k4d9p5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=286&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209266/original/file-20180307-146675-1k4d9p5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209266/original/file-20180307-146675-1k4d9p5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209266/original/file-20180307-146675-1k4d9p5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Illegal ivory could be used to aid elephant conservation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/rohit_saxena/5496346430/">Flickr/The Rohit</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<p>Rather than arguing based on our emotions, that’s why we carried out the latest research – a first step towards helping us decide whether ivory burns will reduce poaching.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/can-britain-make-an-ivory-ban-work-only-if-it-learns-from-americas-experience-85412">Can Britain make an ivory ban work? Only if it learns from America's experience</a>
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<p>With the most <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/ivory-trinkets-crushed-en-masse-in-bourke-street-mall-20180303-p4z2oz.html">recent ivory destruction event</a>, in Melbourne, Australia, now is the time to think deeply about the efficacy of these ivory destruction events. </p>
<p>We need messages to be targeted towards the most important audiences, and we need to monitor consumer behaviour – not just the media coverage – in response to these events. </p>
<p>The scientific evidence for which action best saves elephants – burning or using regulated ivory sales to fund conservation – is still inconclusive. But as long as we move forward with ivory destruction, let’s make sure we monitor its impact.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92987/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew H. Holden has received fellowships from the National Science Foundation, USA, and the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher O'Bryan receives funding from the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre in Australia. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Duan Biggs receives funding from Australian Research Council</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hugh Possingham receives funding from The Australian Research Council. He is the Chief Scientist of The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental not-for-profit.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Watson receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Alongside his position at the University of Queensland, he is the Director of Science and Research Initiative at the Wildlife Conservation Society</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexander Richard Braczkowski and James Allan do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The destruction of a massive haul of illegal ivory was supposed to send a message to poachers and those who trade in the tusks. Did they notice, or can the ivory be used to help elephant conservation?Matthew H. Holden, Lecturer, Centre for Applications in Natural Resource Mathematics, The University of QueenslandAlexander Richard Braczkowski, PhD Candidate - Wildlife Cameraman, The University of QueenslandChristopher J. O'Bryan, PhD Candidate, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of QueenslandDuan Biggs, Senior Research Fellow Social-Ecological Systems & Resilience, Griffith UniversityHugh Possingham, Professor, The University of QueenslandJames Allan, PhD candidate, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of QueenslandJames Watson, Professor, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/830382017-10-15T10:23:16Z2017-10-15T10:23:16ZWhy blaming ivory poaching on Boko Haram isn’t helpful<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189293/original/file-20171008-3228-10lazn2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Talking about ivory-funded terrorism overlooks the real sources of income for terror groups.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author supplied</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In 2016, as part of a ceremony in Cameroon’s capital Yaoundé, 2 000 elephant tusks were burned to demonstrate the country’s commitment to fight poaching and illegal trade in wildlife. US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power gave a <a href="https://2009-2017-usun.state.gov/remarks/7235">speech</a> at the event linking poaching to terrorism. </p>
<p>The idea that terror groups like Boko Haram fund their activities through ivory poaching in Africa is a simple and compelling narrative. It has been adopted by governments, NGOs and <a href="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2016-06-01-money-talks-the-links-between-poaching-and-terror-and-why-they-matter/#.Wd3LBVuCzIU">media</a> alike. But it is undermining wildlife conservation and human rights.</p>
<p>The problem is that such claims hinge on a <a href="https://elephantleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Report-Ivory-al-Shabaab-Oct2016.pdf">single document</a> which uses only one, unnamed source to estimate terrorist profits from ivory. The study hasn’t been backed up <a href="https://rusi.org/publication/occasional-papers/illusion-complicity-terrorism-and-illegal-ivory-trade-east-africa">elsewhere</a>.</p>
<p>Similarly, there is little evidence that terrorist activities are funded by wildlife poaching in Cameroon. We have studied wildlife conservation and pastoralism in the Far North Region of Cameroon in the last two <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/project/Pastoralists-Parks-and-Boko-Haram">decades</a>. We have found that it is highly unlikely that Boko Haram is using ivory to survive financially. The elephant populations in the areas where Boko Haram operates are so low that this would be a faulty business plan to say the least. Only 246 elephants were counted in Waza Park in <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/7a8w3kk6r9hzm0r/AfESG%20African%20Elephant%20Status%20Report%202016.pdf?dl=1">2007</a>. </p>
<p>Talking about ivory-funded terrorism overlooks the real sources of income for these groups. In Cameroon and Nigeria <a href="http://venturesafrica.com/boko-haram-makes-cash-from-stolen-cattle/">evidence</a> shows that Boko Haram is using profits from cattle raids to support its activities. Boko Haram’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/05/world/africa/boko-haram-food-crisis.html">plunder</a> of the countryside leaves cattle herders destitute. </p>
<h2>The dangers of militarisation</h2>
<p>The wrong focus has implications for conservation and human rights. Linking poachers and terrorists has led to a further <a href="https://theconversation.com/foreign-conservation-armies-in-africa-may-be-doing-more-harm-than-good-80719">militarisation</a> of conservation areas in Africa. More guns and guards have been sent into parks to stop poachers.</p>
<p>The military approach has also led to serious <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/09/wildlife-tanzania-poaching-human-rights-abuses/">human rights violations</a>. These take the form of shoot-on-sight policies and other violent tactics carried out against local populations. Law enforcement in protected areas is important for controlling poaching and terrorism alike but it is not a perfect solution. </p>
<p>And wildlife conservation can suffer if well armed but underpaid park guards turn to poaching themselves. </p>
<p>It would be more helpful if properly paid and trained people provided security across the region rather than just in protected areas. </p>
<h2>Consequences of the wrong connection</h2>
<p>Ignoring the fact that <a href="http://www.conservationandsociety.org/preprintarticle.asp?id=215102;type=0">cattle, not ivory</a>, may be fuelling terrorism in places like Cameroon does a disservice to pastoralists. While livestock may compete with wildlife when pastoralists take refuge inside better-protected areas like parks, they do so only because their livelihoods are at risk.</p>
<p>Mistaking the true source of income for terrorist groups also means that their violent activities continue. </p>
<p>Finally, it diverts attention from corrupt conservation and government officials who may be complicit in poaching. </p>
<p>Of course, this is not to say that poaching is not happening. The <a href="https://www.iucn.org/news/species/201609/poaching-behind-worst-african-elephant-losses-25-years-%E2%80%93-iucn-report">dramatic declines in elephant populations</a> in Cameroon and elsewhere in Africa indicate otherwise. The question is who is doing the poaching and why. </p>
<p>We challenge governments and organisations interested in wildlife, security and human rights to take a closer look at the evidence. Instead of sharing simple claims about terrorism and poaching, they should consider all the forms of economic support to terrorist organisations. </p>
<p>In Cameroon, this would mean offering better security for pastoralists and their cattle. Protecting cattle does not have the same appeal for Western audiences as protecting elephants. But it could be a way to conserve wildlife, protect human rights and stop funding for terrorism.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/83038/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Moritz receives funding from the National Science Foundation in the United States of America.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alice B. Kelly Pennaz received funding from The Simpson Foundation and the Rocca Foundation to perform this research. A grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) helped fund further research as well. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mouadjamou Ahmadou and Paul Scholte do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The idea that terror groups like Boko Haram fund their activities through ivory poaching in Africa is a compelling narrative. But it’s undermining wildlife conservation and human rights.Mark Moritz, Associate Professor of Anthropology, The Ohio State UniversityAlice B. Kelly Pennaz, Researcher, University of California, BerkeleyMouadjamou Ahmadou, Lecturer in Visual AnthropologyPaul Scholte, Ecologist leading programs and organizations in conservation, The Ohio State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.