As I discussed in my previous blog post, the US attempts to curb wildlife tracking through foreign assistance. Specifically, FWS provides $10 million annually to enhance and support wildlife conservation throughout Africa and Asia. The funds support essential wildlife protection activities in 25 African countries, including improving capacity to carry… read more
Archives for April 2015
Lessons from Beijing
Although seven days is not enough time to even get over jet lag, the week Jessica Carrillo and I spent in Beijing proved to be a very fruitful experience. Rushing from one side of the city to another, we were able to interview several organizations and scholars involved in demand… read more
Plan your summer to protect wildlife and promote sustainable development
Bartolome, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Source: WWF, Natural Habitat Adventures Have you already planned your summer trip? Do you want to enjoy wildlife watching? Do you know how your visit will impact the local economy? If your answers are yes, keep on reading. Here is some basic information on the ecotourism… read more
Military Corruption Fuels Ivory Trade
In mid-March 2012, 22 elephants, adults and calves, were found dead with their ivory tusks missing in Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Days later, a Ugandan People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) military helicopter was seen flying low over the park. The Ugandan military has not been… read more
U.S. veterans continue to serve through wildlife protection training
Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife (VETPAW) seeks to provide meaningful employment to post-9/11 U.S. veterans through conservation efforts in East African nations. They have chosen to continue their life of service. Ryan Tate, a former U.S. Marine who enlisted on his 18th birthday after the September 11th terrorist attacks,… read more
Call 1-800-NO-POACH
We can all agree: poaching is a problem that needs to be addressed. However this is a complicated issue with many facets. One major problem with combatting poaching stems from the fact that many feel that there is nothing that they can do when they see poaching occur. Engaging ecotourism… read more
Questions for wildlife protection NGOs in China
BEIJING, China – In my last post, I wrote about different awareness campaigns in China, trying to gather elements that these campaigns shared to reach their target audiences. In many (if not all) of the cases, the message was aimed at the general Chinese population and intended to provoke feelings… read more
The Future of Operation Crash
While wildlife trafficking is perceived as a global, transnational issue, it is often forgotten that wildlife trafficking is also a domestic issue that U.S. law enforcement officials are currently grappling with. In 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement formed Operation Crash, which investigates rhino horn… read more
Ecotourism: What’s stopping us?
(Taken by me!) I’ll include a handful of my pictures from Tanzania to draw you into this post. Ecotourism is only viable when the infrastructure is stable, communities see the returned value in conservation for tourism, and if the environment is suitable for tourists. The two most significant threats to ecotourism are… read more
From Africa to Asia: An Ivory Trafficking Incident
Policing ivory trafficking is hard for many reasons – but one of the biggest barriers is understanding the trafficking supply chain. In August of 2014, the Center for Advanced Defense Studies’ (C4ADS) published a report that helps frame how ivory trafficking works, including who is involved, how goods are moved… read more