Equity considerations in the proposed wildlife protocol to the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime

Wildlife trafficking poses a critical threat to global biodiversity, contributes to organized crime, and has disproportionate impacts on underserved and Indigenous communities. Although international legal instruments, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and institutional collaborations, such as the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime, aim to combat wildlife trafficking, social equity remains insufficiently addressed in global responses. In 2022, a proposed additional protocol to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime sought to explicitly incorporate wildlife trafficking as a serious transnational crime. I examined the conservation implications of such a legal expansion, highlighting the potential for enhanced cross-border cooperation and the risk of exacerbating existing socioenvironmental inequalities. I argue that without explicit safeguards, enforcement mechanisms may marginalize local communities and limit access to culturally significant wildlife resources. To address this, I recommend integrating human rights, social justice, and inclusive development into the proposed protocol's design and implementation. Doing so will help align equitable and locally grounded goals with biodiversity protection and conservation outcomes.