Exploring the organization of Russia Far East's illegal wildlife trade: two case studies of the illegal fur and illegal falcon trades

Abstract

The Russian Federation is a source of wildlife and wildlife products that fuel the vast, and often overlooked, illegal wildlife trade that takes place around the globe. Out of the many illicit animal and plant trades, two of these black markets – the illegal fur trade and the illegal falcon trade – are used in this article to explore the organization of this illicit activity in Russia Far East. Using interviews from Russian and other wildlife trade experts, structural frameworks are established for each of these illegal wildlife markets.