Illegal Trafficking in Plants and Timber

Despite legal protection in conservation law and through international and domestic law measures regulating the trade in wildlife, illegal trafficking in wild plants and timber remains robust. Much of the criminological literature on transnational environmental crimes is concerned with the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT), particularly that involving rare and endangered animals considered threatened by trade. But research has identified the illegal trade in plants and timber as a global crime problem, arguably facilitated by legal markets and consumer demand for collectable plants and cheap timber. This chapter examines plant and timber trafficking with consideration of legislative and policy approaches. It identifies that further research into both illegal trades is required together with a rethinking of regulatory and enforcement approaches and increased use of preventative techniques to prevent the trade rather than mitigate its harmful effects after trade has already taken place.