Michelle Anagnostou

Author

Michelle Anagnostou | Banting Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Growing up in Canada, I have always felt deeply connected to nature. From a young age, I found joy in camping under starry skies, canoeing across lakes, and hiking along trails that meander through dense forests. At the age of 17, I embarked on my first academic research assistantship at a remote wildlife research station, an experience that sparked my passion for scientific exploration. Since then, my research interests have evolved and become increasingly focused relating to my growing expertise, illegal and unsustainable wildlife exploitation. Through graduate and postgraduate research projects, I have collaborated with law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and conducted fieldwork on illegal wildlife trade in Uganda, South Africa, Hong Kong, and Canada. I also have conservation fieldwork experience in Costa Rica and Indonesia.

I have found that despite the myriad of consequences, there has been notably limited research dedicated to exploring illegal wildlife trade as a form of organized crime. This knowledge gap has led to inappropriately placed blame and the criminalization of historically marginalised rural communities who hunt wildlife, while more powerful intermediaries continue to profit and go unpunished. It also impedes the development of comprehensive strategies to dismantle the criminal syndicates involved, address the systemic socio-economic drivers, and mitigate its far-reaching impacts. I am excited about conducting interdisciplinary research that supports efforts to more appropriately prioritise illegal wildlife trade, and more effectively combat the innovative and adaptive strategies of wildlife traffickers. In addition to my postdoctoral fellowship research, I am a Research Consultant and Project Lead with WWF-Hong Kong on the development of an AI solution to screen bookings and shipping documentation for mis-declared or undeclared wildlife products in maritime supply chains.