Would a whitelist work better to regulate the world’s wildlife trade?

Senior Research Fellow
amy.hinsley@biology.ox.ac.uk https://x.com/orchiddelirium

Amy Hinsley

Background

Since an undergraduate project on orchids taught me about the huge lengths that fanatical 19th century orchid collectors would go to to get rare plants, I have been interested in the reasons why people choose to collect, trade and buy wildlife products. This led to me study the collection of plants in Cambodia for my MSc dissertation, and the use of the internet by traders and buyers in the international orchid trade for my PhD.

As well as academic research I have also worked for conservation organisations for several years in a range of roles, including reviewing grant applications, working on FFI Global Trees Campaign projects for threatened tree species, and analysing the UNEP-WCMC CITES Trade Database to inform policy makers.

Research Interests

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I am an interdisciplinary scientist applying machine learning and social science methods to understand and develop interventions to address the diversity of threats from the illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade. My research focuses on how consumer behaviour, market dynamics, and regulatory changes influence the sustainability of wildlife trade. My current Schmidt AI in Science fellowship focusses on applying machine learning to ‘nowcast’ (produce near-term forecasts) the illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade, developing predictive tools to address the data lag times that can hamper conservation decision-making. In addition, I am developing Bayesian Belief Network models to understand the range of factors that influence trade sustainability in medicinal plant markets, and inform decision making around the trade and harvest of different medicinal species. I also have an ongoing project, using machine learning to analyse patents related to wildlife products, to reveal trends in commercial interest and provide early warnings of shifts in commercial wildlife markets.

By combining cutting edge AI methods with quantitative and qualitative social science methods, I aim to ensure that wildlife trade policy is informed by robust evidence, that acknowledges the nuances and complexities of wildlife trade and what influences it. I collaborate widely with NGOs, policy makers, and other researchers, ensuring that my work bridges the gap between scientific research, conservation practice, and global policy frameworks, supporting evidence-based interventions for biodiversity protection. I have worked extensively on the trade in orchids, from my PhD investigating the online and social media illegal trade in orchid species, to my current role as Chair of the IUCN SSC Orchid Specialist Group. In addition, I have conducted policy-driven research on the bear bile industry in China, where I explored how legal and illegal markets interact, using a mixed methods approach to understanding consumer demand in these complex markets. Before joining Oxford in 2017, I worked at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) on projects related to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), providing technical support for policy decisions.

Brief CV

Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Fellow/Senior Research Fellow, Department of Biology, University of Oxford (2024-present).

Leading an interdisciplinary research programme applying AI and Bayesian approaches to predict wildlife trade dynamics and assess sustainability of wild plant harvest, with field partnerships in Nepal and strong policy engagement. Leading development of short courses on wildlife trade.

  • Investigating the use of large social datasets and machine learning to develop tools for near-term prediction of wildlife trade dynamics.
  • Leading research into the use of Bayesian tools to assess harvest sustainability for commercially traded wild plants, with a focus on Himalayan medicinal plants in Nepal.
  • Leading development and delivery of Biology’s Masterclasses on Mitigating Illegal Wildlife Trade.

Research Fellow, Department of Biology, University of Oxford (2022-2024).

  • Leading research into wildlife trade in overlooked taxa, such as plants and fungi.
  • Applying new methods for co-designing conservation interventions with stakeholders to reduce illegal wildlife trade.

Kadas Senior Research Fellow, Worcester College, University of Oxford. (2019-2022).

  • Leading the development of novel machine learning approaches to analyse patent filing of wildlife products, to provide an early warning of changing trends in commercial interest.
  • Investigating Traditional Chinese Medicine species and the Belt & Road Initiative’s impact on medicinal plant trade.

Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Oxford (2017-2019).

  • Working with IUCN, the Chinese government, and the traditional medicine industry to research the impact of legal bear farming on consumer demand for wild bear bile products.

2015-2016             Programme Officer, Species Programme, UNEP WCMC, Cambridge. Supporting CITES implementation, analysing and helping to manage the CITES Trade Database.

2012-2016             PhD in Biodiversity Management. DICE, University of Kent. Title: Characterising the structure and formation of illegal wildlife                                     trade networks in an age of online communication.

2008-12                 Programme Officer, Conservation Science, Fauna & Flora International, Cambridge. Managing the review of grant proposals, supporting field conservation projects for the Global Trees Campaign.

2007-08                 MSc Biodiversity, Conservation and Management, University of Oxford Dissertation: Conservation implications of collection                                     and trade in wild plants in the Central Cardamom Protected Forest, Cambodia.

2007                      Education volunteer, ZSL London Zoo

2007                      Research Volunteer, Kakapo Recovery Programme, Codfish Island, New Zealand

2003-06                 BSc (Hons) in Natural Sciences. University of Durham

Awards

  • RSPB Centre for Conservation Award for an outstanding PhD (2018)
  • Durrell Trust for Conservation Biology Prize Best PhD award (2017)
  • Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) bursaries for trips to learn about plant horticulture and trade in La Reunion and Madagascar (2013), South Africa (2014), and China and Hong Kong (2016).
  • RHS medals for educational displays at the RHS London Orchid Show in 2013 (Silver), 2014 (Silver-Gilt), 2015 (Silver),
  • Presentation prizes at World Orchid Conference (Johannesburg, 2014) and International Orchid Conservation Conference (Hong Kong, 2016).
  • Poster prizes at Student Conference on Conservation Science (Cambridge, 2016), and DICE ‘Future of Conservation’ Symposium (Canterbury, 2014).

 

Membership

IUCN SSC Global Trees Specialist Group

IUCN SSC Orchid Specialist Group

Society for Conservation Biology

Published Papers

For a full and up-to-date list of publications, click here.

Posters

  • Student Conference on Conservation Science (Cambridge, 2016)
  • DICE ‘Future of Conservation’ Symposium (Canterbury, 2014).

Links

I co-chair the IUCN SSC Orchid Specialist Group, and our website is https://www.orchidspecialistgroup.com/