Advancing the science of environmental justice in the international wildlife trade

Abstract

This Research Topic is dedicated to advancing the science of environmental justice in the international wildlife trade, examining diverse perspectives on both problems posed and potential solutions. We invited contributors to frame environmental justice in the context of social, species, and ecological justice, prioritizing papers that employed social science approaches. International wildlife trade, whether legal or illegal, is recognized as one of the greatest threats to biodiversity (Balvanera et al., 2019; Hughes, 2021; Hughes et al., 2023), as well as a facilitator of zoonotic disease transmission with epidemic and pandemic potential (Pavlin et al., 2009; Borsky et al., 2020). This has led to a call from human health and wildlife conservation sectors for more effective and efficient monitoring and regulation of the live animals, animal parts, and animal products that comprise this mega-industry (Borze?e et al., 2020).