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Minimal attention has been given to the ways in which the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) interacts with the informal economy. Drawing on fieldwork investigations and published reports, this article shows how the BRI interacts with the informal economy of illegal wildlife trade in tiger parts and pangolins. It also examines the part played by the practice of land-grabbing in this interaction. The article seeks to make three theoretical contributions. First, it unveils the shadow networks that operate in tandem with formal economic trade. Second, it demonstrates how the economic interdependence of states allows illicit wildlife traders to carve out governance spaces in which they impose their own managerial systems, thus making prosecution of underground wildlife businesses difficult. Third, it concludes that those responsible for the BRI should be mindful of the effect it can have on the environment, particularly on the survival of local wildlife.

This multi‐authored contribution explores what the COVID‐19 pandemic demands of critical inquiry with a focus on the more‐than‐human. We show how COVID‐19 is a complex series of multispecies encounters shaped by humans, non‐human animals, and of course viruses. Central to these encounters is a politics of difference in which certain human lives are protected and helped to flourish while others, both human and animal, are forgotten if not sacrificed. Such difference encompasses practices of racialisation and racism, healthcare austerity, the circulation of capital, border‐making, intervention into non‐human nature, wildlife trade bans, anthropocentrism, and the exploitation of animal test subjects. The contributions highlight how COVID‐19 provides a needed opportunity to unite new materialist and anti‐racist, anti‐colonial scholarship as well as reimagine more radically sustainable multispecies futures. This requires embracing anti‐colonial humility, confronting debts owed to lab animal frontline workers, and rethinking economic systems that helped unleash COVID‐19 and ensured it became a disaster.

There is increasing focus on altering consumer behavior within the conservation sector working to combat illegal wildlife trade (IWT). In this review we highlight how demand reduction campaigns can build on and reproduce problematic stereotypes that create and perpetuate a figure we characterize as the “Asian Super Consumer.” While there are numerous studies critiquing disturbing and racist narratives of particular actors engaged in the supply-side of IWT, the problematic ways in which racism can steer debates characterizing illegal wildlife product consumers remains generally under-explored. We focus on key examples of ivory demand reduction campaigns in China. We argue for more culturally-sensitive understandings of illegal wildlife product consumers and their motivations. Culturally-nuanced approaches in demand reduction campaigns are essential not just because they may be more effective, but because they move beyond on-going violent histories of cultural misrepresentation and racism.

This chapter sets the contextual background of the illegal wildlife trade in China and examines in detail, the demand and supply of wildlife products within the country. Reference is made to the usage of wildlife products in traditional Chinese medicine, collector’s items, and local delicacies, and as captive pets. This chapter also lays out the organization of the book.

This chapter provides an overview of China’s position within the global illegal wildlife trade from two perspectives: (1) China’s geographical location and its relationship with the illegal wildlife trade; (2) the responses from the Chinese government to tackle the trade.

This chapter contextualizes the development of green criminology and the study of environmental crime. In specific, it examines the stages of the illegal wildlife trade: (1) poaching, (2) smuggling, (3) processing, and (4) online distribution.

The funding information provided at the Acknowledgement section in the original article is inaccurate.

The Internet is being exploited as a medium for illegal wildlife trade, and protected wildlife can now be sold and bought across social media and e-commerce platforms. This article is a 13-mo study on the online trade of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)–listed chelonians on a localized Hong Kong website. During this period, more than 400 posts were collected, with more than 300 posts selling CITES-listed chelonians. Based on our findings, we give 2 general recommendations in enforcing the online illegal wildlife trade: 1) increase knowledge of CITES regulations on pet trade forums and 2) introduce digital solutions to monitor pet trade forums.