Technological Innovations Supporting Wildlife Crime Detection, Deterrence, and Enforcement

Detection, deterrence, and enforcement of wildlife crime at a scale sufficient to improve the protection of wildlife populations requires cooperation and coordination across many government jurisdictions and among numerous organizations. This chapter presents four case studies on different technologies: the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART), conservation drones, mobile applications, and genetic forensic science. These technologies are examples of innovative tools that assist with decreasing risks of illegal wildlife trade when deployed in conjunction with traditional approaches. The chapter examines how these relatively recent advances can positively contribute to conservation crime monitoring, detection, and enforcement. It also explores how these technologies have been deployed in the field and discusses the limitations of implementing these technologies across many scales. Finally, the chapter recommends how the technologies themselves and their implementation might need to evolve in order to create larger‐scale improved outcomes for solving wildlife crimes and protecting species in the wild