Introduction Special Issue: Environmental Impacts of Illicit Economies

Abstract

For decades, illicit economies have predominantly been studied and debated as a security problem with social and development consequences. However, the interaction between illicit economies and the environment, in cases such as illicit drug crop cultivation and drugs production, is more recent and a rather unexplored discussion-despite that it is not a new phenomenon. From an environmental standpoint, illicit economies can lead to a broad array of negative impacts, with complex interactions. This Special Issue of the Journal of illicit Economies and Development seeks to enhance the evidence basis and understanding of the environmental impacts of illicit economies beyond traditional crime-focused indicators. The special issue pursues to shed more light on the manifold interlinkages between illicit economies and the environment, contributing to a growing body of research of a rather young branch of research in the field of illicit economies. The special issue gathers a broad array of phenomena, perspectives, and disciplines, combining original research and policy considerations. The Special Issue includes contributions on the environmental impacts of illicit drug crop cultivation, drug trafficking, drug production, illicit trade in bushmeat and wildlife in general, land grabbing and illicit sand mining, covering a broad range of regions and continents.

The Selected Effects Embedded from Illegal Occupation and Theft of Medicinal Plants: A Systematic Study on Rural Areas of Limpopo Province

“…Accordingly, illegal occupations are primarily those achieved through violation of the prohibition on the use of force and of the right to self-determination, or maintained in violation of the right to selfdetermination (Ronen, 2008). From an environmental standpoint, illicit economies can lead to a broad array of negative impacts, with complex interactions (Brombacher et al, 2021). Amid the calls for urgent action to address climate change, habitat destruction, deforestation, land degradation and the extinction of species, illicit economies emerge as one of the keys yet understudied push factors for these challenges (Brombacher et al, 2021).…”

“…From an environmental standpoint, illicit economies can lead to a broad array of negative impacts, with complex interactions (Brombacher et al, 2021). Amid the calls for urgent action to address climate change, habitat destruction, deforestation, land degradation and the extinction of species, illicit economies emerge as one of the keys yet understudied push factors for these challenges (Brombacher et al, 2021). These are global problems that affect all countries to a certain degree, but especially states affected by fragility and instability in the global south (Brombacher et al, 2021).…”

“…Amid the calls for urgent action to address climate change, habitat destruction, deforestation, land degradation and the extinction of species, illicit economies emerge as one of the keys yet understudied push factors for these challenges (Brombacher et al, 2021). These are global problems that affect all countries to a certain degree, but especially states affected by fragility and instability in the global south (Brombacher et al, 2021). For example, illicit drug crop cultivation, drug production and the linkages with other illicit economies such as illegal mining, wildlife trafficking, illegal logging, and land grabbing have serious environmental implications, not only for the ecosystems affected, but also for environmental governance systems (and community-based governance systems) in several regions around the world (Brombacher et al, 2021).…”

Una propuesta de análisis espacial para definir la dificultad de sustitución de la coca en parques nacionales naturales de Colombia

“…Los cambios en el enfoque de la lucha invitan a promover el análisis con un enfoque diferente al suministrado a partir de indicadores clásicos de la lucha contra el narcotráfico (área sembrada, área erradicada, área sustituida, toneladas incautadas, laboratorios destruidos, entre otros). Un nuevo enfoque requiere ampliar el universo de factores explicativos del problema, más allá de medir el mal llamado éxito de la guerra contra las drogas (Brombacher et al, 2021). Por esta razón, este ejercicio propone integrar factores sociales, de desarrollo y de seguridad que pueden tener impacto directo en el proceso de sustitución de las economías ilícitas de la coca en los PNN (Bernal et al, 2020).…”

Organisational principles of the global drug economy

“…The drug economy is arguably the largest and most harmful of all illicit economies, considering preva lence rates across the globe, estimated financial turnover, factors such as homicide and overdose-related death rates, the spread of blood-borne dis eases, the relationship with armed conflict in source countries or corrup tion related to the drug market. More recently, the massive negative im pact of drug markets on the environment is also receiving more attention (Brombacher, Garzón and Vélez 2021). Analysis shows that roughly 10 % of all UN Security Council resolutions over the past two decades have made reference to drug trafficking, only surpassed by arms trafficking, an other highly problematic form of organised crime (Reitano 2020: 127).…”