Contemporary Patterns

Contemporary Patterns—Wildlife trafficking is not isolated to the remote regions of the planet or specific to the areas with high biodiversity or a high number of endemic species. It is a ubiquitous activity that either through supply, transfer, or demand affects most nations of the globe. This chapter provides updated patterns of smuggling as well as gives estimates as to the extent of wildlife trafficking that is taking place in the different regions. This chapter also revisits the reasons for the demand for wildlife and wildlife products. Drawing on previous work, the demand is broken down into four categories: processed commodities, collectors’ items, traditional medicines, and food. For each of these categories, the parameters, which make them distinctive, are given and the global smuggling patterns for that category are detailed. The chapter then breaks down the supply side dynamics of wildlife trafficking, making a case for combating this crime particularly from the demand end rather than previous tactics, which have tended to only focus on curbing the supply.