28 Sep Zoological Society of London awards Chilean researcher for his doctoral thesis on non-compliance in small-scale fisheries

SECOS and IDEAL researcher Rodrigo Oyanedel, who completed his doctoral studies at the University of Oxford in 2022, is the first Chilean to be recognized by the prestigious scientific organization for his contribution to the field of conservation. His thesis focused on the study and management of non-compliance with wildlife trade rules and regulations at a small scale, using the common hake fishery in the Maule Region as a case study.

Researcher Rodrigo Oyanedel was recently awarded the Thomas Henry Huxley Award and Marsh Prize by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) for his outstanding doctoral thesis: “Tackling Small Scale Fisheries Noncompliance”, completed at the University of Oxford, England. The prize, granted by ZSL—a conservation charity working to restore wildlife in the UK and worldwide—recognizes the best PhD thesis in biology in the UK each year.

Nominated projects are evaluated by a panel of experts from the organization, who select the most deserving work for the award. “This award is very meaningful to me because it represents recognition for work I’ve been doing for several years in collaboration with various scientists,” said Rodrigo Oyanedel, a researcher at SECOS and the IDEAL Center. “I believe this prize highlights the value of conducting conservation science in specific contexts like Chile, while drawing lessons that can be applied more broadly.”

Oyanedel’s thesis—supervised by Stefan Gelcich, UC professor and director of SECOS, and E.J. Milner-Gulland of the University of Oxford—aimed to advance the scientific understanding of how to study and manage noncompliance with small-scale wildlife trade regulations. His case study focused on the small-scale common hake fishery in Chile’s Maule Region. This research underscores the critical role of sustainable wildlife trade in supporting biodiversity conservation, livelihoods, and food security.

To this end, the researcher employed specialized survey techniques to assess noncompliance behaviors, conducted interviews with key informants, reviewed existing literature, and analyzed government datasets. Based on the evidence gathered, the study offers policy recommendations and guidelines aimed at reducing the extent of noncompliant behaviors, as well as providing tools and frameworks that can be applied to study noncompliance in other wildlife trade contexts. In doing so, the research highlights the need to systematically address noncompliance in small-scale wildlife trade, taking into account the diversity of actors involved and their motivations, as well as the market dynamics and supply chains through which these products are traded.

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Check the papers associated with Oyanedel doctoral thesis:

• Oyanedel R, Gelcich S, & Milner-Gulland, E.J. (2021). A framework for assessing and intervening in markets driving unsustainable wildlife use. Science of The Total Environment, 792, 148328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148328.
• Oyanedel R, Gelcich S, Mathieu E, & Milner-Gulland E. J. (2021). A dynamic simulation model to support reduction in illegal trade within legal wildlife markets. Conservation Biology, 13(5), e12725 https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13814.
• Oyanedel R, Gelcich S, & Milner-Gulland E. J. (2020). A synthesis of (non-)compliance theories with applications to small-scale fisheries research and practice. Fish and Fisheries, 21(6), 1120-1134. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12490.
• Oyanedel R, Gelcich S, & Milner-Gulland E. J. (2020). Motivations for (non-)compliance with conservation rules by small-scale resource users. Conservation Letters, 13(5), e12725. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12725.