Wildlife
decline
and social
conflict
Policies aimed at reducing
wildlife-related conflict
must address the
underlying causes
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U.S. President Obama’s recent cre- ation of an interagency task force on wildlife trafficking reflects growing political awareness of linkages be- tween wildlife conservation and na- tional security (1). However, this and
similar new initiatives in Europe and Asia
promote a “war on poachers” that overlooks the ecological, social, and
economic complexity of wildlife-related conflict. Input from
multiple disciplines is essential to formulate policies that address drivers of wildlife
decline and contexts from which associated
conflicts ignite.
The harvest of wild animals from land
and sea provides more than $400 billion
annually, supports the livelihoods of 15%
of the global population, and is the main
source of animal protein for more than a
billion of Earth’s poorest inhabitants (2, 3).
Humans have always depended on wildlife,
but the contemporary depletion of wildlife,
combined with unprecedented market glo-
balization, has heightened the economic
stakes and desperation of consumers. The
consequences of wildlife declines are severe
and include regional destabilization and
the proliferation of terrorism.
Here, we illustrate how wildlife decline
may give rise to exploitative labor practices,
empower profiteering groups who use violence to control illicit wildlife trades, and
promote vigilante resource management.
We also describe cases where incorporating
interdisciplinary perspectives has improved
policy outcomes.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING, ORGANIZED
CRIME, AND VIGILANTE GOVERNANCE.
Wildlife declines often necessitate increased labor to maintain yields. Harvesters of wildlife resort to acquiring trafficked
adults and children to capture ever-scarcer
resources while minimizing production
costs. A vicious cycle ensues, as resource
depletion drives harvesters to increase their
use of forced labor to stay competitive.
Human trafficking associated with declin-
ing fishery harvests is increasing across the
globe, exposing connections between fishery
decline, poverty, and human exploitation
(see the chart and figure) (4). Many fishers
must travel farther, endure harsher condi-
tions, search deeper, and fish for longer to
obtain the types of harvests more readily
available a generation ago (2). In Thailand,
for example, Burmese, Cambodian, and Thai
men are increasingly sold to fishing boats,
where they may remain at sea for several
years without pay, forced to work 18- to 20-
hour days (4). Starvation, physical abuse,
and murder are common on these vessels.
Connections between wildlife depletion
and labor injustice are not limited to fish-
eries. Terrestrial wildlife declines in West
Africa have led to exploitative child labor
practices (5). Communities that for thou-
sands of years met their dietary needs by
hunting in neighboring forests must now
travel for days to find prey. The region’s
main source of animal protein, fish, has
declined, increasing reliance on terrestrial
wildlife ( 6). Cheap child labor enables hunt-
ers to extract wildlife from areas that would
otherwise be too costly to harvest.
Wildlife-related conflict is not limited to
labor injustice. Scarce wildlife species used
By Justin S. Brashares1*, Briana Abrahms1,
Kathryn J. Fiorella1, Christopher D.
Golden2, Cheryl E. Hojnowski1,
Ryan A. Marsh1, Douglas J. McCauley3,
Tristan A. Nuñez1, Katherine Seto1,
Lauren Withey1
Ribosome stalling and
neurodegeneration p. 378
Hiding an object’s shadow
in the fog p. 384
CONSERVATION POLICY
Children enslaved for fishing labor in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana, 2010.
POLICY
