Legal and Illegal Trade in CITES Protected Mammals – a Closer Look at the European Union
Legal and Illegal Trade in CITES Protected Mammals – a Closer Look at the European Union
Anna Kubátová Jiří Zelený Zdeněk Novák Dominika Formanová Pavla Říhová a Charles University, Prague, Czech Republicb University College Prague, Prague, Czech RepublicAnna Kubátová, Ph.D., is a former wildlife trade inspector of the Czech Environmental Inspectorate who graduated from Tropical Agrobiology and Bioresource Management at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. She works as a scientific worker at the Faculty of Science, Charles University. There she is a member of the Environmental Forensic Sciences Centre where she focuses mainly on interpreting practical outcomes of her colleagues to the scientific community. Regarding CITES, she is interested mainly in local legislation and data on legal trade and seizures.Jiří Zelený, Ph.D., holds a doctorate in regional and social development and is an Assistant Professor at University College Prague. His primary research area is agricultural economics, with a strong emphasis on consumer behavior and market dynamics. Dr. Zelený focuses on sociological tools to explore the social aspects of agrarian consumption and regional development. He integrates both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. In addition, he employs econometric methods and sensory evaluation techniques. For his research activities, he was awarded at the University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia) during the IFMRS conference, and by the Minister of Agriculture of the Czech Republic.Zdeněk Novák is a researcher in the Environmental Forensic Sciences Centre at the Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague. His professional interests focus on wildlife crime, where his knowledge and experience as a former long-time wildlife inspector can help with the investigation of such cases.Dominika Formanová, Ph.D., is a scientific worker at the Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague. She is a member of the morphological team of the Environmental Forensic Sciences Centre. In her research activities, she focuses mainly on mammals. Currently, she deals with the morphological differentiation of feline skulls. She also lectures and has previous experience as a curator of mammals in zoos and as a former CITES inspector at the Czech Environmental Inspectorate.Pavla Říhová graduated from Faculty of Science of Charles University in Prague with a master’s degree in zoology and ethology. Since graduation she has worked in the field of conservation of endangered species and wildlife law enforcement. More than 25 years she worked at the Czech Environmental Inspectorate (firstly as a CITES and wildlife inspector at reginal level, then as a Head of CITES and Biodiversity Department at the headquarters). She left the Inspectorate in 2021 to help set up the new Environmental Forensic Sciences Centre at Charles University, where she now works as deputy head and leads the morphology team. She is also an external expert for the Ministry of Environment in the field of wildlife enforcement and forensics, member of the Interpol Wildlife Crime Working Group, member of EU-TWIX Advisory Group and judiciary expert for CITES and wildlife. She has been involved in the investigation of many serious wildlife crime cases and teaches specialized wildlife courses at several universities.