Illegal Animal
Poaching and Wildlife Trade
Alicia Riviere, ariviere@uafutureleaders.com
Urban Assembly-Academy
for Future Leaders
Introduction |
Animals are very crucial to our planet’s biodiversity and
ecosystem. In addition, millions of people depend on exotic wildlife since
tourists travel to their villages to marvel at species including pandas,
tigers, lions and elephants. Unfortunately, hundreds of wildlife species have
become threatened during recent times. Several factors impact the
endangerment of wild animal species, including climate change, deforestation,
poaching and illegal trade. According to the IUCN, “there are over 30,000
endangered species.” |
Task |
Imagine that you are high school students interested in entering
a National Geographic competition. Six winning groups will travel and spend 3
weeks (Summer of 2021) investigating animal poaching and illegal wildlife
trade in a nation in Africa, South America or Asia. Your project has to be extremely creative, have solid resources
and provide a clear, coherent message highlighting the social problem to
bring awareness to the issue. Don’t forget, there are many
other schools submitting projects, so yours MUST go above and beyond! As responsible world citizens and students, you have the
opportunity to research the important global problem of animal
poaching/wildlife trade. Your group will create and present a Google
Slides Presentation that includes the PPA Process to examine the
main causes, realities, effects and strategies to stop animal
poaching/wildlife trade. *Regions of Focus -Group 1- Africa Illegal poaching of elephants in South Africa. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Group 2- Asia Illegal capturing of tigers in Thailand, Southeast Asia. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Group 3- South America Illegal trade of wildlife bird species (Blue-headed parrots) in
Northern Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforest region. |
Process |
-The class will be divided into 3 groups focusing on Africa, Asia
or South America. -Each group will have 3-4 class members. -Each research group will have to create & present a Google
Slides Presentation examining the global social problem of animal
poaching/wildlife trade in a specific continent. -Each presentation will include the Six Steps of the
Public Policy Analyst Model. -Remember to review the Sample PPA Presentation that I modeled in
class, so that you can familiarize yourselves with the project requirements. -Each group should read and summarize relevant information from
3-4 of the online articles, videos and other materials under the “Resources”
section. Six Steps of the Public Policy Analyst Model (PPA) 1- Define the Problem: Background Information
of the Problem 2- Gather the Evidence 3- Identify the Causes and Effects 4- Evaluate an Existing Policy: Advantages and
Disadvantages of this Policy 5- Develop Solutions: Create 2-3 New, Original
Alternative Policies 6- Select the Best Solution: Feasibility vs.
Effectiveness Graph |
Vocabulary Terms |
-Extinction The Definition-according
to the Encyclopedia Britannica @ www.britannica.com “Extinction, in biology, is the dying out or extermination of a species. Extinction occurs when species are diminished because of environmental forces (habitat
fragmentation, global change, natural disaster, overexploitation of species
for human use) or because of evolutionary changes in their members
(genetic inbreeding, poor reproduction, decline in population numbers).” -Endangered species The Definition-according
to the Online Dictionary @ www.dictionary.com “Endangered species: a plant or animal species existing in
such small numbers that it is in danger of becoming extinct, especially such
a species placed in jeopardy as a result of human activity.” -Wildlife Trade The Definition-according to the United Nations Office on Drugs
& Crime @ www.unodc.org “Wildlife trafficking involves the illegal
trade, smuggling, poaching, capture, or collection of endangered species,
protected wildlife (including animals or plants that are subject to harvest
quotas and regulated by permits), derivatives, or products thereof.” -Animal Poaching The Definition-according to the Legal Dictionary @ https://legaldictionary.net “Animal poaching is the act of hunting or
capturing animals illegally. Usually, this practice leads to the killing of
endangered animals, which leads to their eventual extinction.” |
Resources -For All Groups |
“What Is Poaching?”, Author:
Doris Lin, 5/30/2019 @ Treehugger-Sustainability For All https://www.treehugger.com/overview-of-poaching-127892 *Documentary Film: “Virunga” (2014): can be seen on
Netflix AND for free at http://www.documentarymania.com/player.php?title=Virunga This documentary tells the story of a small
team of park rangers—including an ex-child soldier turned ranger, a caretaker
of orphan gorillas, and a dedicated conservationist—fighting to protect
Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “Poaching Animals, Facts and Information”,
2/12/19 @ National Geographic-Magazine https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reference/poaching-animals/ “Wildlife Trade 101”, Facts and Information” -Author: Chia-Yi Hou @ NRDC, 8/15/19 https://www.nrdc.org/stories/wildlife-trade-101 “Illegal Wildlife Trade”-Information on the
Website of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service https://www.fws.gov/international/travel-and-trade/illegal-wildlife-trade.html “Films celebrate big cats on World Wildlife Day -Author: Erik Hoffner @ Mongabay, 2/19/2018 https://news.mongabay.com/2018/02/films-celebrate-big-cats-on-world-wildlife-day/ |
Resources for Group # 1 -Africa |
“A Brief History of Poaching in Africa: How the
Controversial Practice Started -Author: Angela Thompsell,
1/29/2020 @ ThoughtCo.com https://www.thoughtco.com/poaching-in-africa-43351 Video: “Google
Drones Curb Illegal Poaching in Africa” (the Video is under the Article) https://www.thoughtco.com/poaching-in-africa-43351 Filthy bloody business: Poachers kill more
animals as coronavirus crushes tourism to Africa -Author: Emma Newburger, 4/24/2020 @ CNBC.Com https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/24/coronavirus-poachers-kill-more-animals-as-tourism-to-africa-plummets.html Global wildlife trafficking still a ‘lucrative
criminal activity,’ expert says”-Author: Genevieve Belmaker,
9/20/2018 @ Mongabay-Online Magazine https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/global-wildlife-trafficking-still-a-lucrative-criminal-activity-expert-says/ Legal and illegal trade negatively impacting
survival and wellbeing of Africa’s wildlife: Report”, 10/9/2019 @ Mongabay-Online Magazine https://news.mongabay.com/2019/10/legal-and-illegal-trade-negatively-impacting-survival-and-wellbeing-of-africas-wildlife-report/ The Fight Against Elephant Poachers Is Going
Commando” -Author: Joshua Hammer, June 2016 @ Smithsonian-Online Magazine Rhino Forensics Used to Track Down Poachers and
Traffickers -Author: Katarina Zimmer, 1/8/2018 @ The Scientist-Online
Magazine |
Resources for Group # 2 -Asia |
“Illegal trade of Philippine pangolins is
surging, report shows -Author: Elizabeth Claire Alberts, 8/4/2020
@ Mongabay-Online Magazine “Wildlife Trafficking in Asia -Author: Maylis, 7/8/2020 @ Globalteer Online
Magazine https://www.globalteer.org/wildlife-trafficking-asia/ “Asian Songbirds: Putting an End to Illegal
Trapping and Unsustainable Pet Trade” -Information on the “What We Do” Tab @ Traffic-
Wildlife Trade Specialists- website https://www.traffic.org/what-we-do/species/asian-songbirds/ “Poaching spikes amid lockdown
in South Asia”, 6/4/2020 @ China Dialogue -Authors: Abhaya Raj Joshi, Nazmun Naher Shishir, Neha Sinha, Adeel Saeed https://chinadialogue.net/en/nature/poaching-spikes-amid-lockdown-in-south-asia/ “Wildlife under Threat From Asia’s
Poaching Crisis-In Pictures”, 2/5/2015 @ The Guardian “Traded to Extinction: Portraits of Poaching in
Asia”-Author: Bryan Walsh, 2/17/2014 @
Time Magazine |
Resources for Group # 3 -South America |
“Poaching Threatens South
America’s Only Bear Species”, 5/31/2019 -Author: Eduardo Franco Berton @
National Geographic https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/05/andean-paddington-bears-poached-in-peru/ “Poaching in Latin America: A Common Threat”
-Author: David, 7/27/2017 @ Natucate https://www.natucate.com/en/blog/nature/latin-america-poaching “Poaching Upsurge Threatens
South America's Iconic Vicuña”, 11/24/2015 -Author: Rachel Nuwer @ Scientific American https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/poaching-upsurge-threatens-south-america-s-iconic-vicuna/ “Wildlife Trafficking: A
Reporter Follows the Lucrative, Illicit, and Heartrending Trade in Stolen
Wild Animals Deep Into Ecuador’s
Rainforest -Author: Charles
Bergman, December 2009 @ Smithsonian-Online Magazine https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/wildlife-trafficking-149079896/ “Crime fighting NGO tracks
Brazil wildlife trade on WhatsApp and Facebook”
-Author: Peter Yeung, 11/23/2020 @ Mongabay-Online
Magazine “Bans on the bird trade in South America yield
mixed results” -Author: John Cannon, 1/24/2019 @ Mongabay-Online
Magazine https://news.mongabay.com/2019/01/bans-on-the-bird-trade-in-south-america-yield-mixed-results/ |
Evaluation -Rubric |
https://bes.garfk12.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Research-Google-Slides-Rubric.pdf |
Standards |
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research,
reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day
or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or
secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from
prior knowledge or opinions. Identify key steps in a text's description of a process
related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest
rates are raised or lowered). Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs,
photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital
texts. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary
and secondary sources. |
Conclusion |
In conclusion, by using the Six Steps of the Public Policy Analyst
Model (PPA), each group will investigate the global phenomenon of animal
poaching and wildlife trade. Your group’s Google Slides Presentation will
include several components such as providing background information about the
issue of concern, identifying the main causes and effects of the focus
problem and researching existing policies. You will finalize your project by
proposing your own solutions to the problem. Historians, after you complete this group project, you will
become experts in using the PPA-Steps while exploring a social issue!! |