Conservation, Crime and Communities: Case Studies of Efforts to Engage Local Communities in Tackling Illegal Wildlife Trade

Key Points in Document:

• A series of case studies that explore “well-known and less well-known examples of both the highs and lows of engaging local communities in tackling illegal wildlife trade.”
• The report contains 11 case studies from Colombia, Guatemala, Kenya, Latin America, Madagascar, Mali, Namibia, Nepal, and Tanzania, as well as overarching conclusions from the studies. Many case studies cover programs to fight elephant poaching.
• Case studies suggest that community engagement is not a panacea for CWT, but it can be highly effective in certain circumstances. This document is an effort to document and learn from challenges and successes of community engagement programs, in order to maximize the contribution of local communities to fighting poaching and to secure their own futures.
• Main recommendations of the editors of the report are:

-       “Increase incentives for conservation,” as case studies show a wide range of incentives and mainly find them to be crucial for support.

-       “Reduce disincentives” such as human-wildlife conflict.

-       “Build on traditional institutions” and understand the cultural setting in which conservation actions take place.

-       “Encourage partnerships and collaboration” to expand networks, resources, and information.

-       “Tackling wildlife crime is risky for communities,” in terms of open conflict and reprisals from poachers

-       “Community-based initiatives are replicable” under the right conditions, and practitioners may harvest key lessons (detailed in the report) from case studies to better inform their programming.

 

Citation: Roe D, ed. Conservation, Crime and Communities: Case Studies of Efforts to Engage Local Communities in Tackling Illegal Wildlife Trade. In: Beyond Enforcement: Communities, Governance, Incentives and Sustainable Use in Combating Wildlife Crime. Vol London, UK: IIED; 2015:1-52.