Event report:
IWT in Europe - wild birds and caviar

White Rose Brussels event report released: IWT in Europe - wild birds and caviar. The Knowledge Exchange Roundtable took place on 22 Jan 2020 at the European Parliament, Brussels.

White Rose Brussels have released their event report for The Illegal Wildlife Trade in Europe: wild birds and caviar – Knowledge Exchange Roundtable. The roundtable took place at the European Parliament on 22 Jan 2020, with BIOSEC researchers Teresa Lappe-Osthege and Hannah Dickinson presenting their research into the wild bird and caviar trades respectively.

Event details

In partnership with White Rose Brussels and the European Parliament, BIOSEC researchers Hannah Dickinson and Teresa Lappe-Osthege hosted a Knowledge Exchange Roundtable and networking reception in Brussels on Wednesday 22 January 2020. The event will be hosted by Shaffaq Mohammed MEP, with contributions from Matthias Maier and Catherine Bearder MEP.

The interactions of organised crime and the illegal wildlife trade are characterised as a security threat which has impact on European society, environment and policy. Researchers from the ERC funded BIOSEC Biodiversity and Security project have produced policy relevant information to assist and support in practical actions to protect wildlife across the globe. At this roundtable, we will look into what constitutes an environmental crime, the responses by the EU to the illegal wildlife trade, the ways that biodiversity protection and security are linked, as well as providing new approaches to understanding the links between the two.

Our researchers from the University of Sheffield have been examining the growing inter-relationships between biodiversity conservation and security. Teresa Lappe-Osthege leads research on the illegal trade of wild birds in the Western Balkan region and how this profitable trade is able to operate within the EU. Hannah Dickinson’s research focuses on the illegal trade in caviar, how this has been linked to organised criminal groups and the relationship with current EU regulatory mechanisms.

Hosted by Shaffaq Mohammed MEP, there will also be contributions from Mr Matthias Maier, CITES and EU Wildlife Trade policy DG ENV, and from Catherine Bearder MEP who convenes the cross-party interest group MEPs4Wildlife in an effort to continue putting pressure on the EU to take action to tackle wildlife crime.

This roundtable will focus discussion on the efficacy of EU policy interventions and regulations designed to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and draw out insights to inform future policy and practice. Through dialogue between academics and European stakeholders, NGOs and policymakers, we intend to exchange knowledge and take forward an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach.

White Rose Brussels continues to highlight the research excellence of the universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to our European partners, key stakeholders and European research community.

Further research

• BIOSEC research into the European Wildlife Trade