Applying Crime Pattern Theory and Risk Terrain Modeling to Examine Environmental Crime in Cambodia

• Author: Matt R. Nobles,Rohit Singh,Christina Burton,Devin Cowan,William D. Moreto
• DOI: 10.1177/1043986220923467
• Published date: 01 August 2020
• Date: 01 August 2020
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/1043986220923467

Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice

2020, Vol. 36(3) 327 –350

© The Author(s) 2020

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DOI: 10.1177/1043986220923467

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Article

Applying Crime Pattern

Theory and Risk Terrain

Modeling to Examine

Environmental Crime in

Cambodia

Devin Cowan1, William D. Moreto1,

Christina Burton1, Matt R. Nobles1,

and Rohit Singh2

Abstract

The spatial-temporal analysis of crime has significantly evolved. One innovative technique

recently developed is risk terrain modeling (RTM). RTM, however, has yet to be used for

environmental crime. This research applies RTM and draws from crime pattern theory

to examine illegal activities in two protected areas in Cambodia. Findings suggest that

pathways, edges, areas with suitable targets, conservation posts, landcover, and prior

incidents are related to fauna- and flora-related illegal activities, though this relationship

varies by season, units of analysis, and study area (i.e., patrol-based compared with

official designation). Implications for theory and policy are outlined.

Keywords

Asia, conservation criminology, crime science, environment crime, environmental

criminology, spatial analysis

Introduction

Despite its wide-reaching social, cultural, economic, and ecological impact, the study

of environmental crime, as well as its prevention and enforcement, is a “fringe” area

within criminology. As defined by the Environmental Investigation Agency (2008),

“[e]nvironmental crimes can be broadly defined as illegal acts which directly harm the

1University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA

2World Wildlife Fund, Washington, WA, USA

Corresponding Author:

William D. Moreto, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Central Florida, 12805 Pegasus Drive,

HPA1, Suite 311, Orlando, FL 32816-1600, USA.

Email: william.moreto@ucf.edu

923467CCJXXX10.1177/1043986220923467Journal of Contemporary Criminal JusticeCowan et al.

research-article2020

328 Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 36(3)

environment” (p. 1). Environmental crime has largely been studied by researchers in

other disciplines who utilize perspectives that are typically not informed by crimino-

logical research. Criminology, however, is a rich field that has much to offer in the

broader study of environmental crime. This is evidenced by the development of dis-

tinct subdisciplines, including green (White & Heckenberg, 2014) and conservation

criminology (Gibbs et al., 2010), as well as the application of established criminologi-

cal perspectives such as environmental criminology (Moreto & Pires, 2018). Despite

the strong theoretical foundation available within criminology, some have commented

on the need to further conduct empirical assessments to cement the utility and value of

a criminological study of environmental crime (see Nobles, 2019), particularly from a

quantitative orientation (see Lynch et al., 2017).

One area that quantitative criminology can contribute to the study of environmental

crime is through the spatial analysis technique known as risk terrain modeling (RTM).1

To date, RTM has not been used to examine the spatial-temporal factors that may

influence environmental crime. Given its applicability in forecasting crime in urban

settings, as well as its potential use to allocate enforcement and crime prevention

resources, RTM presents a novel analytical approach to study illegal activities in pro-

tected areas (PAs).

Guided by crime pattern theory (Brantingham & Brantingham, 1993a), this study

contributes to the literature by using RTM to examine the environmental factors that

influence fauna- and flora-related illegal activities in PAs in Cambodia. We also add to

the growing RTM literature examining the impact of seasonality (e.g., Szkola et al.,

2019) by explicitly comparing dry and wet seasons. Furthermore, given the nature of

the data, we also develop and compare data-driven study areas to officially designated

study areas. Specifically, we sought to complete three research objectives: first, to use

RTM to assess spatial risk factors that influence fauna-related illegal activities during

the dry and wet seasons in Cambodian PAs. Second, to use RTM to assess spatial risk

factors that influence flora-related illegal activities during the dry and wet seasons in

Cambodian PAs. Third, to compare RTM results between patrol-based study areas to

complete study areas (i.e., designated PA boundaries) to identify any potential differ-

ences in spatial forecasting results.

The Promise and Challenge of Protected Areas

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), “a protected

area is a clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed,

through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature

with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.”2 The establishment of PAs

represents a tangible achievement for conservation and naturalist goals, and the

resources dedicated to the long-term preservation of these assets directly benefit the

indigenous species as well as the surrounding environments. PAs are generally funded

through public means, ensuring some level of public visibility and access. Furthermore,

PAs are readily identifiable as zones of flourishing growth, often focused around

endangered (and therefore economically valuable) natural resources.