Ernie Cooper

Ernest Walter Thomas Cooper (born September 16, 1956) was the first Wildlife Inspector in Canada.

He was formerly the 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 1980 he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology (Marine Biology Program) from the University of Victoria.

In 1988, while working for the Vancouver Aquarium, 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, United States 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.

Cooper joined WWF and TRAFFIC in July, 2001, and continued to work to ensure that international wildlife trade was sustainable and legal.

In his role with WWF and TRAFFIC he provided advice on wildlife trade issues, worked with Canadian authorities, and assisted the TRAFFIC network’s global conservation efforts.

In 2009, an article in Canadian Geographic referred to Cooper as "Canada’s top wildlife-trafficking investigator."

Cooper was born and grew up in Victoria, 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 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).

He left WWF and TRAFFIC in 2014, and formed an environmental consulting business, specialising in wildlife trade issues.

In 2014 Cooper left WWF/TRAFFIC and became a private consultant on issues related to wildlife trade and sustainable use of wildlife.

As a consultant, his main clients have been the federal government of Canada and several NGOs.

His work has primarily been the completion of written reports.

In 2016/17, Cooper lead a multinational team, as part of a project by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), in the production of five action plans to promote legal, sustainable and traceable trade in selected North American species that are listed in Appendix II of CITES.

The five action plans covered 56 taxa of parrots, sharks, tarantulas, turtles and timber producing plants.

The project was completed under the direction of the Canadian, Mexican and United States CITES authorities.

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.

Cooper is also an Adjunct Professor for the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University.