ANDREA CROSTA on the World of Wildlife Crime /113

Via Getty Images

The topic of wildlife crime is inherently complex, and more often than not, dominant narratives fail to draw out the ever-present nuances regarding poaching and illegal trafficking. Regardless, we cannot ignore the fact that wildlife crime is the world’s fourth largest criminal enterprise. Over a century ago, the world’s tiger population exceeded one hundred thousand. Today, there are less than four thousand, meaning that we have lost ninety-seven percent of the world’s tiger population in just one century. Yet again we are reminded of the atrocities unfolding under a supremacist, capitalist, global market that supports the rapid and senseless killing of living beings for the mere commodification of their “parts.”

This week on the program Andrea Crosta joins Ayana in a conversation around wildlife crime. Andrea is all too familiar with dominant narratives that misplace fixation, assume guilt incorrectly, or aid in sweeping generalization that disregard cultural sensitivity and further western imposition associated with wildlife crime. Ayana and Andrea discuss a myriad of topics ranging from the importance of an intelligence-led approach to combating wildlife crime, how wildlife crime impacts local and global economies, the geography of trafficking, the socio-political realities that necessitate poaching and trafficking, and the grave danger posed by an increased militarization of conservation.

Andrea Crosta has over 30 years of experience in conservation projects around the world and in a parallel professional career, has been working for over 18 years as an international consultant to companies and governmental agencies on high-end security technologies and services, homeland security, anti-piracy, and risk management. Andrea now applies this unique knowledge to conservation and wildlife protection as the Executive Director and co-founder of Elephant Action League, an intelligence-led non-profit organization focused on fighting wildlife crime. Andrea is also the creator and project manager of WildLeaks, the first whistleblower initiative dedicated to wildlife crime. Andrea is among the main protagonists of the documentaries ‘The Ivory Game’ and ‘Sea of Shadows,’ which recently won the Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival 2019.

♫ Music is "Abducted" & "Moral Panic" by Y La Bamba.

---