Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking In 2005, the United States Department of State created the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT) to serve as a “voluntary public-private [international] coalition of like-minded governments and organizations that share the goal of ending the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products.” The CAWT’s three goals… 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
Does illegal wildlife trafficking really fund terrorism?
A myriad of news sources have reported involvement by Al-Shabaab, a Somali-based Islamist insurgent group, in the trafficking of elephant ivory in Africa. Al-Shabaab, also known as Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, operates under a mission to overthrow the Somali government and establish a state under Islamic Law. The U.S. Department of… read more
Lessons from elite interviews
This past week, I traveled to Washington, D.C. with three of my classmates to conduct elite interviews with U.S. government agency officials and NGOs to learn more about the nexus of wildlife crime and U.S. national security. This week was a learning experience in so many ways, and I thought… read more
Will the USA support public awareness campaigns around the world?
Throughout the fall semester, I researched the effectiveness of public awareness campaigns in reducing demand for illegal wildlife products. I have examined campaigns from China, England and the USA. The purpose of this research was to develop an action plan for the USA; a way for the government to get… read more
Are Public Awareness Campaigns Effective?
On September 15, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) launched the month-long “Ivory Challenge.” USFWS crushed six tons of confiscated ivory in November of last year. Through the Ivory Challenge, they are calling for artists “to create a compelling, thought provoking, informative and impactful display to increase awareness about… read more