How Green Criminology Fights for Mexico's Biodiversity

In the shadowed canyons and dust-choking deserts of Mexico, a different kind of war is being waged. It's not the familiar, headline-grabbing battles against cartels and corruption that typically define the nation in the global imagination. Instead, a quieter sort of revolution is taking root – a revolution led by scientists, researchers, and a growing movement of green criminologists determined to protect the land they love.

At the heart of this movement is Arturo Argueta Villamar, a researcher with UNAM's Socio-Environmental Studies Program. With the assured demeanor of a man accustomed to both the classroom and the field, Villamar draws a stark picture. “Mexico's environmental challenges are no less urgent than the violence tearing at our society,” he states. “We've faced down drug lords and kingpins, but against the destruction of our environment, traditional methods have fallen short.”