The main threat to conservation of rare animals is often thought to be the loss of suitable habitat. However, poaching, illegal killing and the trade in endangered animals play a major role in the catastrophic declines of these animals, like rhinos and elephants in Africa, parrots in the Neotropics, and pangolins in South-East Asia. Dr. Ronald Clarke, Professor of Criminal Justice and Director of the Center for Conservation Criminology at Rutgers University, examines wildlife crimes through the lens of environmental criminology and seeks ways to reduce criminal predation of endangered species. While the importance of law is acknowledged, and while the Center works on improving the functioning of ranger patrols, Dr. Clarke and team seek to understand and, ultimately, to close down the opportunities that permit these crimes to happen.

This preventive work faces enormous challenges given the vast and remote areas often inhabited by threatened species, inconsistent and weak support from state or national governments, frequently high levels of corruption, and poverty in the countries concerned. Despite these problems, Dr. Clarke and the Center have published important projects in its short existence, studying the ban on the international trade in ivory, the decline of neotropical parrots, and how tigers in Indian reserves could be made more visible to tourists using CCTV cameras so as to protect tigers from poaching. Using a criminological approach to understand the endangerment of species and re-analyzing data collected by biologists, conservation scientists, and conservation NGOs, Dr. Clarke and his team conduct their own field studies to obtain the data that is needed.

A sample of other projects presently underway include:

• Retaliatory Killings for Livestock Predation of Tigers and Leopards in India: One of the principal threats to tiger and leopard conservation occurs when these predators leave the reserves to kill cattle belonging to local villages. Villagers then retaliate by shooting or poisoning the tigers and leopards when they return to the kill. Dr. Clarke and his team are examining various ways to prevent this retaliatory killing, including compensation schemes and supplying secure corrals for villagers to keep their livestock in at night.
• The Role of Illegal Fishing in the Decline of Albatrosses: A global problem, but particularly in the southern oceans, the albatross population has precipitously declined over the past 20 years due to longline fishing. When albatrosses strike at the baited hooks, they become entangled in the fishing and drown as the line sinks in the water. A large proportion of longline fishing is committed by illegal fishing boats, and Dr. Clarke and his team are documenting the precise effects of illegal fishing on albatross populations and seeking to identify preventive measures.
• The Illegal Provision of Pangolin Meat in Restaurants in South China: Pangolins are scaly anteaters that are now endangered in many parts of East Asia because they are in high demand for their succulent meat. Despite being protected by law, they are hunted by people who sell their meat to restaurants in South China. Dr. Clarke and his team are conducting phone interviews in the southern and northern parts of China to compare and estimate the scale of the problem. In so doing, Dr. Clarke hopes to derive solutions to reduce the demand for pangolin meat in China.
• The Illegal Wildlife Trade in the Peruvian Amazon. One of Dr Clarke’s graduate students, who is a Peruvian, is visiting street markets in jungle ports to determine which protected animals and plants are being illegally sold. He has recorded many instances of illegal sales of small monkeys, birds, and snakes, all of which are protected by law.  By interviewing the sellers about their prices, sources, and opinions regarding taking animals from jungles to sell, Dr. Clarke’s team studies ways to prevent such crimes by recommending other sources of profit and compensation.