[Publication Alert ref: ICCB 2025 presentation] Science Policy Article: Risk assessment for China’s new conviction standards based on monetary value

[Ruocheng Hu]

Dear Colleagues,

 

For those who attended the ICCB 2025 in Brisbane earlier this year, you may recall our oral presentation regarding the critical intersection of legal sentencing metrics and biological reality in wildlife conservation.

 

I am pleased to share that the full study, titled “Toward science-based conviction criteria to deter wildlife crime,” has recently been published in Science (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu9077)

Here is the ResearchGate link with public full-text:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/398356054_Toward_science-based_conviction_criteria_to_deter_wildlife_crime

Our analysis focuses on a significant legislative shift in China: the 2022 transition of conviction standards for wildlife crimes from an "individual-count" basis (number of animals) to a "monetary-value" basis. By analyzing data on all 522 protected bird and terrestrial mammal species in China, we demonstrate that this monetary valuation approach has inadvertently raised the bar for conviction and may weaken legal deterrence.

While this study focuses on China, it offers a universal cautionary tale for the global conservation community. We argue that conviction criteria must be anchored in scientific data—such as population size and life-history traits—rather than static economic valuations.

 

We hope this paper serves as a catalyst for policymakers to reintegrate ecological science into judicial frameworks. We welcome any feedback or further discussion on how similar legal metrics are evolving in your respective regions.

 

Sincerely,

Ruocheng Hu

PhD, Peking University