Global biodiversity loss is one of the most pressing problems facing humanity today. Wildlife trade is a major driver of biodiversity loss and a pathway for zoonotic disease transmission. Illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade is a significant threat, placing one quarter of all terrestrial vertebrate species at risk of extinction. Furthermore, the rising frequency of zoonotic epidemics and pandemics, including COVID-19, highlights the devastating human health consequences of wildlife consumption. Shifting global power structures and geopolitics are adding to the complexity of these challenges.

 

How can wildlife trade governance be improved to address the challenges of our geopolitically polarized, post-pandemic world? The HUMAN-CONSERVATION project pursues three research objectives on the human dimensions of wildlife trade:

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1. Study the longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the medicinal demand for threatened species products in China to inform wildlife trade policy, enhance regulatory compliance and enforcement, and improve behavior change interventions;

2. Investigate European trends in the seizure of protected species used in TCM to improve CITES implementation and combat wildlife trafficking; 

3. Study the implications of rising geopolitical tensions in the Asia-Pacific region for wildlife trade to inform wildlife trade policy and governance at state and global levels.

 

The HUMAN-CONSERVATION project is supported by Horizon Europe through a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship, and will inform wildlife trade policy, help combat wildlife trafficking, and define frontiers in conservation geopolitics.