Researchers say enforcement, destroying confiscated ivory do little to solve the problem

Jan 22, 2014 10:36 GMT  ·  By
Researchers argue that anti-poaching campaings are repeating the mistakes of the War on Drugs
   Researchers argue that anti-poaching campaings are repeating the mistakes of the War on Drugs

Wildlife crime is kind of a big deal these days, and conservationists and high officials alike are doing their best to put an end to it. The problem is that, as proven by many reports documenting a rise in poaching activities, they are pretty much failing.

In a paper in the journal Conservation Letters, a group of researchers posits one very interesting theory concerning why it is that, in spite of enforcement and drastic measures such as destroying ivory stockpiles, illegal hunting activities appear to continue pretty much unabated.

Not to beat about the bush, the researchers claim that, all things considered, this is probably because anti-poaching campaigners are repeating the mistakes made by the folks behind the so-called War on Drugs.

Specifically, they fail to take into account the wealth gap between regions of supply in Africa and centers of demand in Asia, Science News reports.

“Much of the current narrative on responses to poaching and illegal trade in wildlife is centered on increasing enforcement efforts and anti-poaching measures,” says Daniel Challender with the University of Kent.

“We argue that this approach risks making the same mistake as the ‘war on drugs’, because it doesn't address the real drivers of poaching. For example, increasing demand in East Asia and growing relative poverty nationally and internationally,” he adds.

In their paper, the researchers also argue that, by banning poached goods, high officials only achieve driving up the prices at which they are sold. Consequently, folks feel all the more tempted to illegally market them.