Ernie Cooper
Encyclopedia
Ernie Cooper was the first Wildlife Inspector in Canada
. Currently he is a Director for the conservation organization WWF-Canada
(World Wildlife Fund Canada) and the Canadian National Representative of TRAFFIC
the global wildlife trade monitoring network. In 2009 an article in Canadian Geographic Magazine referred to Cooper as “Canada’s top wildlife-trafficking investigator.”
, British Columbia
, Canada, the son of Lillian Cooper (born Francis) and Walter Cooper. He has five older sisters: Rosemary, Patricia, Christine, Maureen and Sharleen. In 1980 he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology (Marine Biology Program) from the University of Victoria
.
, Cooper was offered a contract to identify wildlife products seized by Canada Customs for the enforcement of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
In 1992, he became a Federal Game Officer for Environment Canada
and Canada's first wildlife inspector. Cooper was stationed in Vancouver
, British Columbia and was primarily responsible for the enforcement of CITES. In Canada, CITES is enforced via the Wild Animal and Plant Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA).
During his enforcement career (as a contractor and Wildlife Inspector) Cooper conducted inspections of more than 4,000 shipments of wildlife and wildlife products; identified more than 250,000 CITES listed specimens for the enforcement of CITES; and provided training to more than 800 officers from Canada
, USA and Mexico
on topics including CITES, international wildlife trade and the identification of wildlife products. Cooper has published numerous articles and reports and has been quoted extensively in the media.
Since joining WWF and TRAFFIC in July, 2001, Cooper has continued to work to ensure that international wildlife trade is sustainable and legal. He provides advice on wildlife trade issues, works with Canadian authorities, and assists the TRAFFIC network’s global conservation efforts. In 2009 Cooper spearheaded the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on co-operation between TRAFFIC Canada and Environment Canada’s Wildlife Enforcement Directorate (WED) on furthering the implementation and enforcement of wildlife trade regulations in Canada. It was the first such agreement between WED and a non-governmental organization
(NGO).
Cooper is a Canadian authority on wildlife trade, CITES and enforcement of WAPPRIITA; and is an expert in the identification of wildlife products and by-products. He has been actively involved in the conservation of many species including tigers, seahorses, sharks, tuna
and red and pink corals (Corallium), and has worked to end the illegal trade in products from endangered species such as bear bile and rhinoceros horn. He is an expert on the identification of products made from reptile skin and other exotic leathers.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Currently he is a Director for the conservation organization WWF-Canada
WWF-Canada
WWF-Canada is one of Canada's largest conservation organizations and is a member of the WWF global network, actively contributing to the protection, management and restoration of the environment...
(World Wildlife Fund Canada) and the Canadian National Representative of TRAFFIC
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
the global wildlife trade monitoring network. In 2009 an article in Canadian Geographic Magazine referred to Cooper as “Canada’s top wildlife-trafficking investigator.”
Early life
Ernie Cooper’s full name is Ernest Walter Thomas Cooper. He was born and grew up in VictoriaVictoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada, the son of Lillian Cooper (born Francis) and Walter Cooper. He has five older sisters: Rosemary, Patricia, Christine, Maureen and Sharleen. In 1980 he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology (Marine Biology Program) from the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
.
Career
In 1988, while working for the Vancouver AquariumVancouver Aquarium
The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre is a public aquarium located in Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In addition to being a major tourist attraction for Vancouver, the aquarium is a centre for marine research, conservation and marine animal rehabilitation.The Vancouver...
, Cooper was offered a contract to identify wildlife products seized by Canada Customs for the enforcement of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
In 1992, he became a Federal Game Officer for Environment Canada
Environment Canada
Environment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC) (French: Environnement Canada), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment...
and Canada's first wildlife inspector. Cooper was stationed in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia and was primarily responsible for the enforcement of CITES. In Canada, CITES is enforced via the Wild Animal and Plant Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA).
During his enforcement career (as a contractor and Wildlife Inspector) Cooper conducted inspections of more than 4,000 shipments of wildlife and wildlife products; identified more than 250,000 CITES listed specimens for the enforcement of CITES; and provided training to more than 800 officers from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, USA and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
on topics including CITES, international wildlife trade and the identification of wildlife products. Cooper has published numerous articles and reports and has been quoted extensively in the media.
Since joining WWF and TRAFFIC in July, 2001, Cooper has continued to work to ensure that international wildlife trade is sustainable and legal. He provides advice on wildlife trade issues, works with Canadian authorities, and assists the TRAFFIC network’s global conservation efforts. In 2009 Cooper spearheaded the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on co-operation between TRAFFIC Canada and Environment Canada’s Wildlife Enforcement Directorate (WED) on furthering the implementation and enforcement of wildlife trade regulations in Canada. It was the first such agreement between WED and a non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
(NGO).
Cooper is a Canadian authority on wildlife trade, CITES and enforcement of WAPPRIITA; and is an expert in the identification of wildlife products and by-products. He has been actively involved in the conservation of many species including tigers, seahorses, sharks, tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
and red and pink corals (Corallium), and has worked to end the illegal trade in products from endangered species such as bear bile and rhinoceros horn. He is an expert on the identification of products made from reptile skin and other exotic leathers.
Selected publications
- Cooper, E.W.T., Torntore, S.J., Leung, A.S.M, Shadbolt, T. and Dawe, C. (2011). Guide to the Identification of Precious and Semi-precious Corals in Commercial Trade. TRAFFIC North America and WWF-Canada. Vancouver.ISBN 978-0-9693730-3-2
- Arndt, A., Speller, C., Cooper, E., Skinner, M., and Yang, D. (2010). Ancient DNA Analysis of Dried Coral Samples: An Accurate DNA-based Identification of Threatened Species for Support of Wildlife Trade Law Enforcement Needs. American Academy of Forensics Science. Poster.
- Cooper, E.W.T. (2006). The Kaiser’s Spotted Newt – Traded to the Brink of Extinction. The TRAFFIC Report, Vol.5 No. 1, p: 6.
- Cooper, E.W.T., and Shadbolt, T. (2006). An Overview of the Illegal Trade, Market Forces and Fur Industry Perceptions in North America and Europe. TRAFFIC North America and World Wildlife Fund, Vancouver, B.C. 76 pp.
- Cooper, E.W.T., and Chalifour, N., (2004). CITES, Eh? A Review of Canada’s Implementation of CITES Under WAPPRIITA. TRAFFIC North America and World Wildlife Fund, Vancouver, B.C. 124 pp. ISBN 0-89164-173-4.
- Lourie, S. A., Foster, S.J., Cooper, E.W.T. and Vincent, A.C.J. (2004). A Guide to the Identification of Seahorses. Project Seahorse and TRAFFIC North America. Washington, D.C.; University of British Columbia and World Wildlife Fund. 114 pp. ISBN 0-89164-169-6.
- Cooper, E.W.T. (2003). Enforcement support training by Justice Institute of British Columbia. TRAFFIC Dispatches, No. 20, p: 13.
- Yates, B.C., Dratch, P.A. and Cooper, E.W.T. (1995). Manipulated Genitalia: Evidence of Fraud in the Wildlife Medicinal Trade. Presented to the Northwest Association of Forensic Scientists Annual Meeting. Poster.
- Cooper, E.W.T. (1991). An Introduction to Rearing Larval Marine Fishes. FAMA, February 1991, pp: 120 -121, 126, 128.
- Ishiyama, M., Yoshie, S. , Teraki, Y., and Cooper, E.W.T. (1991). Ultrastructure of Pleromin, a Highly Mineralized Tissue Comprising Crystalline Calcium Phosphate Known as Whitlockite, in Holocephalian Tooth Plates. In S. Suga & H. Nakahara (Eds.) Mechanisms and Phylogeny of Mineralization in Biological Systems. Chap. 4.19, Tokyo, Japan.
- Cooper, E.W.T. (1989). The Skin Trade in Western Canada; Importations of Reptile Products from 1986 to 1989. Presented to the Thirteenth International Herpetological Symposium. Proceedings pp: 205-214.
- Cooper, E.W.T. (1989). Exotic Species Identification by the Vancouver Public Aquarium for CITES Enforcement. Presented to the Western Regional Conference of the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums. Proceedings pp: 350-357.
- Cooper, E.W.T. (1988). An Evaluation of Selco for Improving the Nutritional Value of the Brine Shrimp, Artemia salina. FAMA, April 1988, p: 121.