The HAWLT approach to holistically address wildlife trafficking

Abstract Wildlife trafficking is a significant threat to global biodiversity, animal welfare, security, economic development, and public health, and persists despite increasing attention and investment. In an effort to support more effective, evidence‐based, measurable efforts to reduce illegal trade, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Combating Wildlife Trafficking Program developed the Approach to Holistically Address WildLife Trafficking (HAWLT Approach). The HAWLT Approach integrates the preeminent adaptive framework of conservation science—the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation—with techniques to reduce wildlife trafficking in a systems‐oriented, multi‐sectoral, and collaborative framework spanning the entire trade chain. We illustrate how we applied the HAWLT Approach to design the Species Conservation Catalyst Fund (SCCF), an accelerator‐style seed fund for catalyzing conservation action for high‐need, underfunded species threatened by illegal trade. The HAWLT Approach offers a framework to help secure biodiversity and safeguard people from the threats of global wildlife trafficking.