Isotopic applications assit in forensic tracking of illegally traded wildlife parts

Abstract

Isotopic applications assit in forensic tracking of illegally traded wildlife parts Keith A. Hobson, a Research Scientist and Professor at Environment and Climate Change Canada, discusses the use of stable isotopes to trace the origins of animal parts in order to mitigate the illegal wildlife trade. As of 2022, the illegal global trade in tissues of (CITES and non-CITES listed) wildlife has been estimated to be on the order of $220 billion,(1) placing this practice among the top four of all global criminal enterprises. As ecosystems and the wild animals and plants they harbor come under increasing pressure from human developments, such trade threatens many species with decimation and ultimate extinction. Governments continue to struggle with the extent of this phenomenon and generally have few tools available to counter this growing trend. However, once seized, wildlife parts can be examined forensically to help ascertain provenance, and such tools can contribute in a small way to counter such criminal activity.