Wildlife Crime: A Conceptual Integration, Literature Review and Methodological Critique

• In Event: Beyond ‘What Works:’ Advancing Understanding of Crime through Systematic Reviews

Abstract

Crime scientists have suggested that conservation efforts might be improved by analyzing various wildlife crimes in a manner akin to traditional crime types (e.g. how, when, where, and what is targeted) in order to identify patterns and the underlying opportunity structures involved. Yet, this requires that wildlife crimes exhibit patterns similar to traditional crime types. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to conduct an in-depth review of the conservation literature to determine if, and how, different types of wildlife crimes cluster. Second, to identify the existence of interventions for which the mechanisms mirror those found within SCP and assess their effectiveness.

Authors

• Sara McFann, Florida International University

• Stephen Pires, Florida International University

• Justin Kurland, Rutgers University-Newark

• William D. Moreto, University of Central Florida