Overview

The global illegal wildlife trade is estimated by Interpol to be worth $20 billion annually. A combination of poverty and rich-world demand is driving several thousand species towards extinction and the conservation sector has struggled to respond. Killing the Trade shows that with a shift in strategy, that dire situation can be turned on its head. By bringing together lessons from conservation successes and failures and incorporating insights from the commercial sector, the book sets out a workable holistic strategy to address the underlying causes of the illicit trade. Built around the guiding principle – if it pays it stays – the book provides policymakers, NGOs and other stakeholders with an action plan to help bring the multi-billion-dollar trade to an end.

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9781788218221

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Reviews

Finding ways to change the economic equation of the wildlife trade to make it a regulated sector that provides community income/livelihoods, advances conservation and protects endangered species is a vital objective. But the trade is multi-faceted and complex, requiring the dovetailing of tactical, local, national, international and strategic efforts to reduce demand, gain the active support of local communities and fight the criminal syndicates. This understanding of the nature of the trade and the urgent need to find ways of coordinating the fight against it are at the heart of Richard Milburn's detailed, evidence-based analysis. He identifies the problems and comes up with solutions, drawing on his first-hand field experience. A must-read for practical conservationists, wildlife NGOs, politicians making decisions about conservation, and conservation scientists. -- Keith Sommerville, author of Ivory

Finding ways to change the economic equation of the wildlife trade to make it a regulated sector that provides community income/livelihoods, advances conservation and protects endangered species is a vital objective. But the trade is multi-faceted and complex, requiring the dovetailing of tactical, local, national, international and strategic efforts to reduce demand, gain the active support of local communities and fight the criminal syndicates. This understanding of the nature of the trade and the urgent need to find ways of coordinating the fight against it are at the heart of Richard Milburn's detailed, evidence-based analysis. He identifies the problems and comes up with solutions, drawing on his first-hand field experience. A must-read for practical conservationists, wildlife NGOs, politicians making decisions about conservation, and conservation scientists. -- Keith Sommerville, author of Ivory Killing the Trade is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the illegal wildlife trade and how traditional conservation methods have not been up to the complex task of protecting both wildlife and wild spaces. Having worked closely with rangers I appreciate the thought and depth that has gone into the discussion of the militarization of rangers and how this is a more nuanced topic then many would have us believe. The book gives a balanced perspective for the need for accountability, whilst also acknowledging, the often overlooked, ranger’s right to life and self-protection. Killing The Trade not only bring the issues to life in a way that cuts through the noise of traditional conservation platitudes whilst offering workable, tried and tested solutions. -- Jon Churcher, Resolve Wildlife A fascinating, and very clearly written, dissection of the illegal wildlife trade, Richard Milburn’s book does something unique. Rather than endlessly recite the problems that undoubtedly afflict the brave efforts to conserve endangered species, this book proposes a comprehensive strategy to curtail the illegal wildlife trade. Moreover, the strategic ‘handrails’ that Milburn suggests are not a wish list of idealistic aspirations, but a set of firm propositions based upon both a rigorous understanding of existing policies and academic literature but most importantly upon hard practical experience in the field. Milburn has seen for himself what works and what doesn’t. Blending his academic knowledge and practitioner experience he identifies a wholly different paradigm for breaking this vile trade. -- M. L. R. Smith, Australian War College, Canberra, and co-editor of Poaching, Wildlife Trafficking and Security in Africa

Author Information

Richard Milburn MBE teaches environmental security in the School of Security Studies at King's College London. He completed his PhD within the Department of War Studies, researching the links between wildlife conservation, security, peacebuilding and development, conducting fieldwork in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. He acts as the UK representative of the Pole Pole Foundation, a multi-award winning Congolese conservation charity and Earthshot Prize finalist based in Bukavu.

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