Symposium to be held February 2015, South Africa

IUCN CEESP/SSC Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (SULi), the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the Austrian Ministry for the Environment, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CEED) and TRAFFIC – the wildlife trade monitoring network– are holding a symposium exploring the roles of communities, governance, incentives and sustainable use in combating illegal wildlife trade, to be held near Johannesburg, South Africa, February 27-March 1, 2015. This symposium seeks to evaluate whether and under what circumstances community-based interventions are likely to achieve success in combating current patterns of illegal use and trade of wildlife (both plants and animals), and provide examples, lessons learnt and guidance in order to support governments, institutions and organisations in meeting relevant international commitments. Outputs of the meeting will be presented at the inter-governmental Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade in Kasane, Botswana, March 2015.

We are particularly interested in submissions from people who are members of communities affected by or engaged in tackling wildlife crime, or community support organisations; and from those with governmental (or inter-government) responsibilities for addressing wildlife crime. Abstracts are invited on any aspect of the topic, but particularly in the following areas: 

• The impacts of enforcement on communities: How are current enforcement strategies (the rise of "green militarism") impacting on communities? 

• Understanding and quantifying the negative impact of wildlife crime on sustainable livelihoods and economic development: How is illegal wildlife trade impacting on communities? 

• Engaging communities in conservation: Where and how has strengthening community rights to manage and use or benefit from wild resources successfully reduced wildlife crime? 

• Involving communities in law enforcement efforts: Where and how are communities actively engaging in enforcement efforts, and what factors underpin success? 

 Please also see more detailed draft program of the symposium here below. 

Please send an abstract of approx. 300 words to Sarah Pawlow at suli.iucn@gmail.comby 30th November 2014, and include the words "Call for Abstracts" in the title.

Please donwload here below :