What is the evidence that counter-wildlife crime interventions are effective for conserving wildlife?
Dr Steven Cooke and Dr. Trina Rytwinski, Canadian Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation (CEBC)
Human activities are driving a global biodiversity crisis. One of the main drivers of biodiversity decline is direct exploitation of species. To help address species exploitation, a variety of conservation interventions have been used to directly protect wildlife from illegal harvest, detect and sanction rule-breakers, and interdict and control illegal wildlife commodities, here referred to as counter-wildlife crime interventions. We will present results of a recently completed systematic map summarizing the existing body of literature addressing the effectiveness of counter-wildlife crime interventions for conserving wildlife directly threatened by exploitation. This research was done in collaboration with staff from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and a group of scientific experts from around the world. Specifically, we will describe where existing studies have been conducted, for what African, Asia, and Latin American species, and what types of counter-wildlife crime interventions and outcomes were most or least evaluated. Furthermore, we will highlight important limitations in the current evidence base which can be used to improve future study designs and methods.
Dr. Steven Cooke
Dr. Cooke is a Canada Research Professor (formerly Canada Research Chair) in the Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science at Carleton University (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada). Research in his lab focuses on conservation science, environmental evidence, applied ecology, and the human dimensions of natural resource management. He is particularly active in freshwater and marine systems but has broad taxonomic, geographical, and realm interests. Cooke is also founding Director of the Canadian Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation and a Board Trustee and Secretary for the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence.
Dr. Trina Rytwinski
Dr. Rytwinski is a Senior Research Scientist with the Canadian Centre for Evidence-based Conservation located at Carleton University (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada). Her research focuses on understanding the circumstances in which human activities affect wildlife populations and using evidence synthesis to inform management decisions. Although trained as a landscape ecologist, she has conducted and managed evidence syntheses (including meta-analyses) on a variety of topics. Trina is also endorsed as a Collaboration for Environmental Evidence trainer.
