The militarization of anti-poaching: undermining long term goals?

Duffy, Rosaleen; John, Freya A. V. St.; Büscher, Bram; Brockington, Dan

doi:10.1017/s0376892915000119

Cited by 106 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…In recent years poaching 4 has escalated to an unpresidented level resulting in concerns over their future existence (Smith 5 et al 2013). In response, rhino conservation has seen increased militarisation with 'boots on 6 the ground' and 'eyes in the sky' (Duffy et al 2015). An alternative method is to devalue 7 the horn itself, one of the main methods being the removal so that only a stub is left.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Devaluing rhino horns as a theoretical game

Lee

Roberts

2016

Ecological Modelling

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The poaching of rhinos has increased dramatically in recent years, creating an ongoing problem and cost to rhino managers. A manager may decrease the reward to the poacher by devaluing the horn such as dehorning so that only a stub is left, or inserting a poison, dye or GPS tracker.However, as it is impossible to remove all value of the horn (a stub remains, poison fades, or GPS trackers can be removed) a poacher may still kill the rhino for the partial gain from the horn, and to avoid tracking this particular rhino in the future. We consider the problem as a theoretical game, where the players are poachers and a rhino manager. By considering the payoff to both manger and poachers we highlight the manager's struggle to discourage poachers to not kill a devalued rhino, despite the loss of time, and increase of risk, to the poacher. Generally, the manager can only influence the situation if virtually all rhino horns are devalued, or the risk involved to the poacher is increased, such as through greater enforcement.However, the cost to devalue the last few rhinos may be very costly due to the sparsity of rhinos, and the rhino manager can easily make a loss by trying to devalue the last, few rhinos. But, whilst a few rhinos remain with their intact horn, a poacher is unlikely to avoid a particular ranch.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Devaluing rhino horns as a theoretical game

Lee

Roberts

2016

Ecological Modelling

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“…The drivers behind such rises in poaching and trafficking are complex and wide ranging, but a key factor has been the rise in wealth in existing consumer states (such as China in the case of ivory) and a mix of rising wealth and shifting cultural norms in new markets (as in the case of rhino horn consumption in Vietnam) (see TRAFFIC, 2008;Shaw and Milliken, 2012;Challender and MacMillan, 2014;Duffy, St. John, Büscher and Brockington, 2015b). The figures do indicate a genuine rise in poaching of rhinos and elephants, rather than simply an increase in detection rates.…”

Section: Shifting From War For Biodiversity To War By Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

War, by Conservation

Duffy

2016

Geoforum

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177

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In this paper I argue that there has been a critical shift towards war by conservation in which conservation, security and counter insurgency (COIN) are becoming more closely integrated. In this new phase concerns about global security constitute important underlying drivers, while biodiversity conservation is of secondary importance. This is a significant break from earlier phases of fortress conservation and war for biodiversity. In order to develop a better understanding of these shifts, this paper analyzes the existing conceptual approaches, notably environmental security analyses which seek to understand how resources cause or shape conflict, and political ecology approaches that focus on the struggles over access to and control over resources. However, this paper indicates the limitations of these existing debates for understanding recent shifts, which require a fresh approach.I chart the rise of the narrative I call poachers-as-terrorists, which relies on the invocation of the idea that ivory is the white gold of Jihad, a phrase which is closely associated with an Elephant Action League (EAL) report in 2012 which claimed Al Shabaab used ivory to fund its operations. This narrative is being extended and deepened by a powerful alliance of states, conservation NGOs, Private Military Companies and international organizations, such that it is shaping policies, especially in areas of US geo-strategic interest in Sub-Saharan Africa. As a result conservation is becoming a core element of a global security project, with significant implications for conceptual debates and for conservation practice on the ground.

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“…Although the links between poaching and terrorism have been questioned (see e.g. Duffy et al 2015;Maguire and Haenlein 2015), this narrative is shaping policies in Sub-Saharan Africa, making conservation an element of global security with material consequences at the ground level (Duffy, 2016b). Today, illegal sourcing of wildlife and trade is presented as a grave economic, social and security challenge and concern (UNODC, 2015), threatening sustainable development and peace and stability in areas of Africa and Asia, where it is linked to weak governance and corruption (Fajardo del Castillo, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing Discourse to Officer Perceptions: The Problems of War and Militarization in Wildlife Crime Enforcement

Runhovde

2017

Crit Crim

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Abstract'War' has become a common model and metaphor for biodiversity conservation in Africa. By discussing the specific challenges of wildlife crime enforcement in Uganda, this article challenges the 'war on wildlife crime' discourse. It concludes that in the context of Uganda, the discourse is profoundly unhelpful because of a lack of alignment between the problems highlighted by Ugandan law enforcement officers interviewed and the solutions typically favoured in the 'wars on crime'. Most wildlife crimes are subsistence-driven and interviewees' requests are for basic equipment and conventional capacity building. Findings demonstrate that the language of war, militarization and securitization should be used with caution as it risks constructing an image of wildlife crime that is misleading-and one that prevents responses that are effective in the long term.

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The militarization of anti-poaching: undermining long term goals?

Cited by 106 publications

References 20 publications

Devaluing rhino horns as a theoretical game

Devaluing rhino horns as a theoretical game

War, by Conservation

Comparing Discourse to Officer Perceptions: The Problems of War and Militarization in Wildlife Crime Enforcement

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