While the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats have been implemented for decades in many countries, research to date has inadequately addressed weaknesses in their implementation, the inherent ambiguities of conservation efforts and how these relate to protection of individual animals of endangered species.
Professor Ragnhild Sollund, together with project teams members Christoph Stefes, Tanya Wyatt, and David Goyes presented case studies from four countries (Norway, the UK, Germany, and Spain), all of whom are bound by CITES and the Bern Convention. Results show that the ways in which the two conventions are implemented and enforced vary between the different countries and also within different muncipalities/states, like in the German federation. While in Norway animals who are stopped in traffic are usually killed, in Spain efforts are made to save them. Both Norway and the UK kill animals who should enjoy the protection of the Bern convention.
David Goyes also presented an article written with professor Sollund at a panel on "Organized Crime and Wildlife Trade" that addressed topics such as: connections between trades and trafficking in wildlife and drugs, Mexican organized crime and the illegal trade in totoaba maw and Chinese organized crime and the illegal wildlife trade: diversification and outsourcing in the Golden Triangle. Goyes and Sollund's presentation addressed state-organized crime and the killing of wolves in Norway.