Curbing wildlife trafficking in Uganda: lessons for practitioners
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Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Basel Institute on Governance
Abstract
This policy brief summarizes the main findings from extensive field research on the drivers, facilitators and
strategies of wildlife trafficking in Uganda. The research shows that individuals engaging in the first stages of the
trading route are driven predominantly by aspirations of wealth to overcome socio-economic hardships. This is
reinforced by stereotypes that depict wildlife trade as benign and legitimate. The trafficking is also facilitated by
weak governance systems that generate high levels of corruption and impunity. In such a context, opportunistic strategies sustain the operations of organized transnational wildlife trafficking networks, not least because of the availability of a ready pool of accomplices who can be co-opted to facilitate the effective consolidation, concealment and corrupt cover of high volumes of wildlife products. Policymakers who wish to reduce the attractiveness of Uganda for organized wildlife trafficking networks are advised to consider these factors when designing their interventions.