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2 AJEL 123 (2015)
An Introduction to the Illegal Trade in Wildlife: A Snapshot of the Illicit Trade in Rhinoceros Horn

handle is hein.journals/ajel2 and id is 124 raw text is: AJEL (2015) Vol II 123 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ILLEGAL TRADE IN WILDLIFE: A SNAPSHOT OF THE ILLICIT TRADE IN RHINOCEROS HORN ZARA J BENDING* The illicit trade in wildlife is a multibillion dollar global criminal enterprise that capitalises on drivers such as poverty, corruption, poor public education and ineffective regulation at great cost to both human and non-human lfe. Despite the remarkable value of goods traded and myriad of consequences, green criminologists such as Wyatt have lamented that the problem 'remains on the fringes of both academia and policy. The purpose of this article is to set out the problem of the illegal trade in wildlife in the context of recent technological and scientific development. In doing so, it will demonstrate that it has, in fact, risen to prominence as an issue of global concern, now framed as one of transnational crime.2 It will map out the nature and extent of the trade in rhinoceros horn, as a representative case commodity, before discussing contemporary issues that may inform future regulatory action. I INTRODUCTION In July 2015, two historic events positioned the illegal trade in wildlife squarely in the sights of the international legal community. Firstly, on 13 July 2015, the Wildlife Justice Commission launched in The Hague to specifically address wildlife crime as a matter of global concern. An Accountability Panel will hold hearings on one or two wildlife crimes selected each year by the Commission for examination.3 While the Commission has no powers of arrest or penalty, the panel will publish a ruling of the facts on the selected activity, including identification of the parties involved. The weight of such rulings will be * Zara J Bending is a doctoral candidate at the Macquarie Law School and Associate Member of the Centre for Environmental Law. The author welcomes any questions or comments via email: zara.bending@mq.edu.au. 1 Tanya Wyatt, Wildlife Trafficking: A Deconstruction of the Crime, the Victims and the Offenders (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) 9. 2 Rob White, Crime, Criminality and Criminal Justice (Oxford University Press, 2012) 257. White defines 'transnational crime' as 'crime that is global in scope and reflects broad socioeconomic processes and trends associated with globalisation.' 3 Wildlife Justice Commission, 'The Wildlife Justice Commission Launches- New Approach to Combat Wildlife Crime' (13 July 2015) <http://www.wildlifejustice.org/article/index.html>. See also: Cahal Milmo, 'The Wildlife Justice Commission: International body launches in effort to combat biggest 'Al Capone' poachers', The Independent (online) 11 July 2015 <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/the-wildlife-justice-commission-international-body- launches-in-effort-to-combat-biggest-al-capone-poachers-10382859.html>.

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