Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is commonly identified as one of the drivers of global biodiversity loss and has gained increasing attention from national governments, conservation NGOs, international institutions and the private sector.
Running from 2021 to 2023, Beastly Business will produce an analysis of the drivers and dynamics of IWT within Europe that explores how legal and illegal trade can be intertwined.
By examining the role of green-collar crime and considering the full complexity of actors involved in IWT, the project aims to shed light on the broader socio-ecological dynamics surrounding the production and distribution of environmental harms.
The purpose is to engage in theoretical development and methodological innovation that generates policy-relevant information for key stakeholders (such as Governments, International Organisations and NGOs), enabling them to formulate more effective policies that recognise more fully the roles of legitimate businesses and corporate crime in IWT. The team will produce an in-depth analysis of the dynamics of illegal trade in brown bears, eels and songbirds.
These three species reveal different aspects of IWT: European eels are critically endangered but subject to significant levels of trade, songbirds are not endangered but are heavily traded, while bears are endangered, and the levels of illegal trade are unknown.
Research Areas
The team will produce an in-depth analysis of the dynamics of illegal trade in brown bears, eels and songbirds.
Brown bear trafficking in Europe: examining the political ecologies of green-collar crime
The aim of this research project is twofold; it seeks to examine the dynamics of the brown bear trade in Europe and to understand the role played by various actors involved in the process.
Exploring the drivers and sustainers of European eel trafficking
The aim of the study is to explore the drivers and sustainers of the illegal trade in the critically endangered European eel, analysing this phenomenon through the complementary lenses offered by criminology and political ecology.
Green-collar crime and the illegal songbird trade in Europe
This research project analyses the deeper socio-economic drivers of supply and demand in the illegal songbird trade in Europe, and aims to understand their implications for the production and distribution of environmental harms.
