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United against poaching: how strengthening transnational cooperation in Southern Africa can end wildlife crime

$224
Raised of $4,070 Goal
6%
Ended on 2/23/17
Campaign Ended
  • $224
    pledged
  • 6%
    funded
  • Finished
    on 2/23/17

About This Project

How can the poaching of elephants be stopped? This project identifies effective coordination between diverse actors as the key to improve the responses. It investigates which security and development actors tackle wildlife crime in Southern Africa and key cooperation challenges. Recognising the transnational and multi-dimensional scale of the problem, the research is path breaking in the way it identifies hurdles for coordination and will allow to formulate innovative proposal.

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What is the context of this research?

According to the 2016 Elephant Census, there are only ca. 415,000 wild elephants left in Africa, concentrated in Southern and Eastern parts of the continent. But within the last 7 years, the total number shrunk by over 30%. The main reason is the increasing sophistication of poaching activity supported by transnational criminal networks. Poaching has detrimental effects on the development opportunities for local populations and promotes a culture of crime and insecurity in countries and regions. It is estimated that by 2020 there could be no wild elephants left on the planet if the poaching activity sustains in its current pace. Despite growing recognition for the issue, crimonology or political science have so far not adaequately addressed it.

What is the significance of this project?

For decades poaching has been approached as a conservation issue and addressed through local and national environmental policies. The awareness that poaching is transnational problem and a significant security issue has grown significantly in recent years. This research will be the first to systematically investigate which actors deal with what kind of dimension of the problem. On the basis of interviews the project will identify better mechanisms of coordination. The intention is to both contribute to current international and national policies and projects addressing poaching as well as to conduct a major case study to the interdisciplinary debate on transnational organised crime, international law and environmental science.

What are the goals of the project?

The main goal is to identify challenges and opportunities to tackle international wildlife crime through improved coordination within a course of 12 months research commencing in May 2017. The focus on poaching and illegal ivory trade allows me to establish and examine best practices through which the activity can be effectively eliminated. The outlined portfolio impacts on how other forms of wildlife and green crimes can be successfully tackled. The methodology comprises of ethnographies with communities and groups actively involved and operating within the area of wildlife crime followed by analysis of existing international documentation, reports and articles, information sourced interviews and research of best practices from other fields of theory and practice.

Budget

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The budget is thought to have two phases with total of $8000. The first phase (May - August 2017) is estimated on $4000 and will enable me to run interviews with my contacts in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi and Kenya. The second phase would include travel and interviews in Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Zambia. $2500 will partially cover travel and accommodation costs. Without the initial funding it will be impossible to travel and have a first-hand experience that I would report on later.

All interviews will be then transcribed. To raise my chances in scheduling meetings, I will require a small money to encourage potential interviewees to provide me with information.


Endorsed by

Wildlife crime is a severe security issue. It is a trans-disciplinary challenge and requires cross-fertilizing insights from different disciplines, but also more intense empirical work. This project promises to do both. It combines insights from criminology, environmental science, political and security studies. It intends to add substantial new evidence to the discussion. Hence, this project can make a true difference to our understanding of the poaching problem and how policy makers can address it.

Meet the Team

Olga Biegus
Olga Biegus

Affiliates

University of Cape Town
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Olga Biegus

Looking back on a 10 year career in international development projects, my focus of work has increasingly shifted towards the connection between environmental protection, development and security. To better link my experience, skills and knowledge to the discussions in criminology, policing and legal studies I am taking a second Master level course in Criminology, Law and Society at Africa’s leading University of Cape Town. The institution with an active role in ISS Africa, Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime and Environmental Security Observatory has a growing reputation in the field of wildlife crime, and my research project will be conducted under the supervision of staff members of the faculty of Law actively involved in all above initiatives.


Project Backers

  • 2Backers
  • 6%Funded
  • $224Total Donations
  • $12.00Average Donation
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