Corruption enables wildlife trafficking across the supply chain (Zain, 2020). At the operational level, poachers and traffickers:

• purchase information and access to protected areas from park rangers and local government (Outhwaite, 2020);
• bribe law enforcement, prosecutors and judges to avoid prosecution, heavy sentencing or large fines when caught (Kassa et al, 2020b);
• pay officials for false documents to move shipments of wildlife products.

Criminal organisations can achieve great political influence and may involve high-level political officials, including politically exposed persons at the executive level (Costa, 2021). This is particularly the case for high-value wildlife trafficking such as ivory, rhino horn, timber and fisheries crime.

Where wildlife trafficking is controlled by members of the political and/or security establishment, already weak institutions are further diminished. This contributes to the general breakdown in the rule of law and the loss of trust in public institutions and government.