We're a Community of conservation practitioners, NGOs, government agencies, academics, researchers, social marketers and advertisers who believe that behavioural science approaches can help to reduce demand for illegally traded wildlife products - which is so crucial to successfully secure a vibrant future for our threatened species!
The application of behavioural sciences in the field of Conservation is relatively new, but lots of fantastic case studies and best practices can be drawn from other fields. This Wildlife Consumer Behaviour Change Toolkit was developed to bring all the existing knowledge and resources into one platform, along with tools such newsletters, webinars and an expert directory to continue supporting the Community of Practice in delivering the most effective conservation impacts.
Unsustainable consumer demand for wildlife products is a leading cause for the threats facing many species across the world. Historically, global demand for ivory in the 19th and 20th centuries led to the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of African Elephants for their tusks, an issue which continues to this day. More recently, demand for rhino horn, pangolins and tropical timber in Asia is pushing species to crisis point. In the past, efforts to tackle illegal wildlife trade have focused on strengthening law enforcement and penalties to starve the supply of products into the marketplace. Recently, however, there has been recognition that efforts to change consumer behaviours and reduce demand for illegally traded wildlife products will be crucial if we are to successfully secure a vibrant future for threatened species.
The Social and Behavioural Change Community of Practice was convened at the first international Conference on 'Changing Behaviour to Reduce Demand for Illegal Wildlife Products' held in Hong Kong in March, 2016. Since then, the Community has been growing and joint by new members with an interest and stake in influencing wildlife product consumer behaviour. With the generous support by donors including USAID, through the Wildlife Trafficking Response, Assessment and Priority Setting (Wildlife TRAPS) project and the German Polifund project, implemented by GIZ, TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, has been holding the role as administrator for the Toolkit and its contents since its inception;
