Wildlife Crimes

Illegal agricultural clearance involves the unauthorised removal or destruction of forests and natural vegetation to expand agricultural activities, including crop cultivation and livestock grazing. Typical illegal methods include destructive slash-and-burn clearing, mechanical clearing with heavy equipment, chemical clearing using unauthorised herbicides, and manual clearing by chainsaw or hand tools without required permits. In Caribbean countries, these illegal clearances occur across various sensitive ecological contexts, including upland forests, river basins, wetlands, coastal mangroves, protected reserves, and other biodiversity-rich habitats.

The impacts of illegal agricultural clearance are extensive, intersecting all five core CAR-WEN values. Biodiversity conservation is severely compromised by habitat destruction and fragmentation, placing native wildlife—including endemic birds, reptiles, and amphibians—at increased risk of decline or extinction. These clearances diminish animal welfare by causing displacement, stress, and suffering among wildlife. The practice undermines the rule of law, particularly in areas where weak governance and unclear land rights limit effective oversight. Human well-being is negatively impacted as downstream communities suffer increased negative outcomes, such as flooding, water scarcity, and soil erosion. Additionally, such practices pose public health risks by degrading water quality and destabilising ecosystems essential for maintaining healthy human settlements.

While illegal agricultural clearance is recognised globally as a critical environmental crime, effectively addressing it in the Caribbean requires continued region-specific research, stronger enforcement capacity, clear land-use frameworks, and enhanced collaboration tailored to local ecological, social, and economic contexts.