About

Meredith Gore is a Professor and Research Director in the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on the human dimensions of global environmental change, emphasizing applied, empirical, field-based, participatory, and transdisciplinary approaches. She conducts research on large science teams and collaborates with diverse communities, nongovernmental and civil society organizations, and government agency officials. Her scholarship primarily addresses risks and their application to negative impacts from global environmental change, with particular attention to crimes affecting the environment such as wildlife trafficking, illegal fishing, and illegal logging. Gore is especially interested in understanding the socio-environmental causes and consequences of conservation crime and designing crime prevention strategies for positive socio-environmental benefits. She holds a PhD in Natural Resource Policy and Management from Cornell University, an MA in Environment and Resource Policy from George Washington University, and a BA in Anthropology and Environmental Studies from Brandeis University. She previously served on the faculty at Michigan State University from 2006 to 2020. Gore is a National Academies of Sciences Jefferson Science Fellow, a US Department of State Embassy Science Fellow, and serves on the board of the American Geographical Society.

Research topics

• Geography
• Biology
• Ecology
• Political Science
• Medicine
• Economics
• Environmental planning
• Business
• Fishery
• Computer Science
• Sociology
• Environmental protection
• Neuroscience
• Industrial organization
• Law
• Environmental resource management
• Criminology
• Archaeology
• Natural resource economics
• Marketing

Selected publications

• When coping means breaking the rules: Understanding conservation crime through strain

  Biological Conservation · 2026-01-07

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Conservation crime, including outlawed hunting, logging, and natural resource use, poses a direct threat to biodiversity worldwide. Reducing this harmful behavior and understanding the motivations of offenders is crucial, yet drivers remain underexamined. This study applies General Strain Theory to explore how social and environmental strains shape coping strategies, including conservation crime, among communities in and around Pù Mát National Park, Vietnam, a hotspot for conservation crime. We conducted three phases of qualitative fieldwork in 2023 and 2024 across 16 communities, using semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and member-checking workshops with 218 participants. We identified nine distinct strains, ranging from unmet basic needs and economic hardship to land accessibility, environmental stressors, and insufficient medical care. Four of them are novel, ecologically embedded forms, such as road and remoteness strain or environmental stressors. Participants described four main coping strategies: conservation crime, outmigration, reliance on aid, and lifestyle adaptation. While participants did not always explicitly connect specific strains to illegal behavior, basic needs, economic, land, and road and remoteness strains emerged as particularly salient and were most frequently discussed in relation to conservation crime. These findings suggest that broader structural inequalities—such as poverty, limited access to services, and spatial marginalization—may influence vulnerability to illegal resource use and merit attention as potentially criminogenic stressors. By applying General Strain Theory to conservation and extending it with ecologically grounded and spatially situated drivers of strain, this study offers a new lens for identifying, anticipating, and potentially addressing risks of conservation crime in protected areas. • First qualitative, in-depth application of GST to conservation crime • Empirical GST case study of conservation crime in Pù Mát National Park, Vietnam • Fieldwork identified nine strains, including four novel ecological ones. • Results provide fine-grained insight into poverty- and place-based strains. • Links coping strategy access to strain severity and local inequalities

  PublisherDOI

• Descriptor: Participatory Mapping of Trade in Pangolin Scales and Other Wildlife in Cameroon (PMPSOWC)

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-04-09

  datasetOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Spatial Variable Definition Details Relevant to Pangolins Relevant to Other Wildlife Recruiting co-offenders Location where a dealer identifies and brings in two or more individuals to participate as teammates or co-offenders across the different stages of the scale trade Teammates can include hunters, transporters, middlemen. Co-offender teambuilding can include contacting trusted people through referrals, assigning roles, and other activities required to carry out the trade X Team meeting Location where team members meet to coordinate future scale trade activities Meeting topics can include determining current scale availability, negotiating prices, quantities, and plan logistics for product movement X Tool acquisition Location where equipment is obtained to hunt pangolins and transport their scales Team members acquire tools such as hunting implements, bags, and containers that will be used to capture animals and move the scales through the trading supply chain X Team meet up Location where hunters and team members meet for a final briefing before embarking Team members plan the activity, assign roles, share information, and arrange the meeting point after hunting X Pangolin harvest Location where pangolins are captured or killed by hunters Hunters locate, capture, or kill pangolins X Other wildlife harvest Location where other wildlife are captured or killed by hunters Hunters locate, capture and kill other wildlife species X Order placement Location where team members meet other people to place orders for scales, sometimes giving a cash advance Discussion may include negotiating prices, quantities, and placing orders using cash before the actual movement or delivery of scales X Scale removal Location where scales are separated from the animal Hunters or processors remove scales (soaking in warm water and scraping with knives or sticks) and prepare for drying, storage,and transport within the trade chain X Scale exchange Location where pangolin scales are transferred between actors in the trade chain Hunters, middlemen, and traders exchange scales for money X Wildlife market Location where scales and other wildlife products are traded Market could be in villages, satellite towns, and capital cities. At these markets, traders and middlemen exchange wildlife products according to prices negotiated and may arrange further distribution to other areas X X Local scale aggregation Local location where pangolin scales collected from different hunters or sellers are brought together and consolidated Middlemen or traders sort, package, and prepare scales for bulk transport, or resell to higher-level dealers within the network, often in local villages X Other wildlife aggregation Local location where other wildlife products collected from different hunters or sellers are brought together and consolidated Middlemen or traders sort, package, and prepare other wildlife products for bulk transport, or resell to higher-level dealers within the network, often in local villages X Scale storage Location where aggregated pangolin scales are kept, cached, or stockpiled Storage may occur in locations including houses, warehouses, or hidden locations to accumulate larger quantities and reduce the risk of detection, often in larger towns or cities X Other wildlife storage Location where other aggregated wildlife products are kept, cached, or stockpiled Storage may occur in houses, warehouses, or hidden locations to accumulate larger quantities and reduce the risk of detection, often in larger towns or cities X Consumption point Location where pangolin scales and other wildlife products, but not meat, are consumed or otherwise used Scales meet the final consumer who will use the scales and other wildlife products, but not meat, for a variety of purposes X X Elude law enforcement Location where team members avoid detection by enforcement authorities These may be villages or towns X

  PublisherDOI

• Literature Review DATASET | Public–Private Partnerships as Metatechnologies for Disaster Risk Reduction: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Review

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-01-01

  datasetOpen accessSenior author

  Using a PRISMA-based screening process, our dataset represents the final sample included in our systematic literature review (41 articles). Dataset characteristics, narrative synthesis, data extraction, and thematic category assignments are all shown in line with the Methods and Analysis (Elamin et al., 2026, in progress).

  PublisherDOI

• Descriptor: Participatory Mapping of Trade in Pangolin Scales and Other Wildlife in Cameroon (PMPSOWC)

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-04-08

  datasetOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Spatial Variable Definition Details Relevant to Pangolins Relevant to Other Wildlife Recruiting co-offenders Location where a dealer identifies and brings in two or more individuals to participate as teammates or co-offenders across the different stages of the scale trade Teammates can include hunters, transporters, middlemen. Co-offender teambuilding can include contacting trusted people through referrals, assigning roles, and other activities required to carry out the trade X Team meeting Location where team members meet to coordinate future scale trade activities Meeting topics can include determining current scale availability, negotiating prices, quantities, and plan logistics for product movement X Tool acquisition Location where equipment is obtained to hunt pangolins and transport their scales Team members acquire tools such as hunting implements, bags, and containers that will be used to capture animals and move the scales through the trading supply chain X Team meet up Location where hunters and team members meet for a final briefing before embarking Team members plan the activity, assign roles, share information, and arrange the meeting point after hunting X Pangolin harvest Location where pangolins are captured or killed by hunters Hunters locate, capture, or kill pangolins X Other wildlife harvest Location where other wildlife are captured or killed by hunters Hunters locate, capture and kill other wildlife species X Order placement Location where team members meet other people to place orders for scales, sometimes giving a cash advance Discussion may include negotiating prices, quantities, and placing orders using cash before the actual movement or delivery of scales X Scale removal Location where scales are separated from the animal Hunters or processors remove scales (soaking in warm water and scraping with knives or sticks) and prepare for drying, storage,and transport within the trade chain X Scale exchange Location where pangolin scales are transferred between actors in the trade chain Hunters, middlemen, and traders exchange scales for money X Wildlife market Location where scales and other wildlife products are traded Market could be in villages, satellite towns, and capital cities. At these markets, traders and middlemen exchange wildlife products according to prices negotiated and may arrange further distribution to other areas X X Local scale aggregation Local location where pangolin scales collected from different hunters or sellers are brought together and consolidated Middlemen or traders sort, package, and prepare scales for bulk transport, or resell to higher-level dealers within the network, often in local villages X Other wildlife aggregation Local location where other wildlife products collected from different hunters or sellers are brought together and consolidated Middlemen or traders sort, package, and prepare other wildlife products for bulk transport, or resell to higher-level dealers within the network, often in local villages X Scale storage Location where aggregated pangolin scales are kept, cached, or stockpiled Storage may occur in locations including houses, warehouses, or hidden locations to accumulate larger quantities and reduce the risk of detection, often in larger towns or cities X Other wildlife storage Location where other aggregated wildlife products are kept, cached, or stockpiled Storage may occur in houses, warehouses, or hidden locations to accumulate larger quantities and reduce the risk of detection, often in larger towns or cities X Consumption point Location where pangolin scales and other wildlife products, but not meat, are consumed or otherwise used Scales meet the final consumer who will use the scales and other wildlife products, but not meat, for a variety of purposes X X Elude law enforcement Location where team members avoid detection by enforcement authorities These may be villages or towns X

  PublisherDOI

• The evidence base for ranger patrol effectiveness in conservation and how to improve it

  Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2026-04-24

  articleOpen access

  Ranger patrols are a cornerstone of wildlife protection efforts around the world and occur across all ecological governance systems. Evidence that patrols reduce threats to wildlife and enable their recovery has not been systematically examined previously. Without evidence of patrol effectiveness in varying contexts, protected area managers risk wasting limited conservation resources and lack information required to improve the effectiveness of patrols. We conducted a meta-analysis evaluating the effectiveness of terrestrial patrols for conserving African, Asian, and Latin American wildlife directly threatened by exploitation. After filtering 57 studies, we calculated effect sizes from each of the remaining 15 studies that included a comparator and measurement of wildlife abundance and calculated standardised mean difference and % change in wildlife species abundance. Results suggest tentative support that areas implementing patrols (alongside other interventions) were associated with higher wildlife abundance levels compared to time periods or locations without patrols. We were unable to confirm causality between patrols and changes in wildlife population abundance because studies were inadequately designed to evaluate and report on effectiveness. Studies commonly lacked a comparator or counterfactual event, temporal or spatial replication, and consistent and/or long-term monitoring of population abundance, and had study designs that confounded conservation actions. Further, of the 15 included studies linking wildlife abundance to patrol efforts, five also reported a reduction in a poaching threat, but only three of these used a comparator in the threat reduction evaluation. Without monitoring threat trends alongside wildlife abundance, it is difficult to be confident that patrols resulted in increases in wildlife abundance. To help evaluate patrol interventions (i.e. not only whether they work but where and under what conditions they work), we identify opportunities to improve future patrol effectiveness research and provide recommendations on how to improve the evidence base.

  PublisherDOI

• Descriptor: Participatory Mapping of Trade in Pangolin Scales and Other Wildlife in Cameroon (PMPSOWC)

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-04-05

  datasetOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Spatial Variable Definition Details Relevant to Pangolins Relevant to Other Wildlife Recruiting co-offenders Location where a dealer identifies and brings in two or more individuals to participate as teammates or co-offenders across the different stages of the scale trade Teammates can include hunters, transporters, middlemen. Co-offender teambuilding can include contacting trusted people through referrals, assigning roles, and other activities required to carry out the trade X Team meeting Location where team members meet to coordinate future scale trade activities Meeting topics can include determining current scale availability, negotiating prices, quantities, and plan logistics for product movement X Tool acquisition Location where equipment is obtained to hunt pangolins and transport their scales Team members acquire tools such as hunting implements, bags, and containers that will be used to capture animals and move the scales through the trading supply chain X Team meet up Location where hunters and team members meet for a final briefing before embarking Team members plan the activity, assign roles, share information, and arrange the meeting point after hunting X Pangolin harvest Location where pangolins are captured or killed by hunters Hunters locate, capture, or kill pangolins X Other wildlife harvest Location where other wildlife are captured or killed by hunters Hunters locate, capture and kill other wildlife species X Order placement Location where team members meet other people to place orders for scales, sometimes giving a cash advance Discussion may include negotiating prices, quantities, and placing orders using cash before the actual movement or delivery of scales X Scale removal Location where scales are separated from the animal Hunters or processors remove scales (soaking in warm water and scraping with knives or sticks) and prepare for drying, storage,and transport within the trade chain X Scale exchange Location where pangolin scales are transferred between actors in the trade chain Hunters, middlemen, and traders exchange scales for money X Wildlife market Location where scales and other wildlife products are traded Market could be in villages, satellite towns, and capital cities. At these markets, traders and middlemen exchange wildlife products according to prices negotiated and may arrange further distribution to other areas X X Local scale aggregation Local location where pangolin scales collected from different hunters or sellers are brought together and consolidated Middlemen or traders sort, package, and prepare scales for bulk transport, or resell to higher-level dealers within the network, often in local villages X Other wildlife aggregation Local location where other wildlife products collected from different hunters or sellers are brought together and consolidated Middlemen or traders sort, package, and prepare other wildlife products for bulk transport, or resell to higher-level dealers within the network, often in local villages X Scale storage Location where aggregated pangolin scales are kept, cached, or stockpiled Storage may occur in locations including houses, warehouses, or hidden locations to accumulate larger quantities and reduce the risk of detection, often in larger towns or cities X Other wildlife storage Location where other aggregated wildlife products are kept, cached, or stockpiled Storage may occur in houses, warehouses, or hidden locations to accumulate larger quantities and reduce the risk of detection, often in larger towns or cities X Consumption point Location where pangolin scales and other wildlife products, but not meat, are consumed or otherwise used Scales meet the final consumer who will use the scales and other wildlife products, but not meat, for a variety of purposes X X Elude law enforcement Location where team members avoid detection by enforcement authorities These may be villages or towns X

  PublisherDOI

• Stigmatizing bioterrorism as a public health concern: The case of anthrax in US media

  BMC Public Health · 2026-03-06

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  This work approaches the role of media in stigmatizing anthrax as a bioweapon in the United States, transitioning the disease from a relatively obscure zoonotic pathogen to a symbol of bioterrorism. By analyzing over 20,000 articles published between 1979 and 2023, we trace how the 2001 anthrax attacks in the US significantly shifted media coverage to focus anthrax as a national security, terrorism, and public health concern. This framing reinforced the stigmatization of anthrax as a militarized threat, even during periods of low assessed risk. The study uses a novel data science approach integrated with classical social science theories to map the evolution of stigmatization themes. The findings highlight how media coverage has come to prioritize framing bioterrorism over public health risks, limiting efforts to manage anthrax as a neglected zoonotic disease. The study underscores an opportunity for more balanced media messaging that reduces stigmatization, minimizes public fear, and promotes awareness of anthrax as both a public health issue and a global health concern.

  PublisherDOI

• Descriptor: Participatory Mapping of Trade in Pangolin Scales and Other Wildlife in Cameroon (PMPSOWC)

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-04-09

  datasetOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Spatial Variable Definition Details Relevant to Pangolins Relevant to Other Wildlife Recruiting co-offenders Location where a dealer identifies and brings in two or more individuals to participate as teammates or co-offenders across the different stages of the scale trade Teammates can include hunters, transporters, middlemen. Co-offender teambuilding can include contacting trusted people through referrals, assigning roles, and other activities required to carry out the trade X Team meeting Location where team members meet to coordinate future scale trade activities Meeting topics can include determining current scale availability, negotiating prices, quantities, and plan logistics for product movement X Tool acquisition Location where equipment is obtained to hunt pangolins and transport their scales Team members acquire tools such as hunting implements, bags, and containers that will be used to capture animals and move the scales through the trading supply chain X Team meet up Location where hunters and team members meet for a final briefing before embarking Team members plan the activity, assign roles, share information, and arrange the meeting point after hunting X Pangolin harvest Location where pangolins are captured or killed by hunters Hunters locate, capture, or kill pangolins X Other wildlife harvest Location where other wildlife are captured or killed by hunters Hunters locate, capture and kill other wildlife species X Order placement Location where team members meet other people to place orders for scales, sometimes giving a cash advance Discussion may include negotiating prices, quantities, and placing orders using cash before the actual movement or delivery of scales X Scale removal Location where scales are separated from the animal Hunters or processors remove scales (soaking in warm water and scraping with knives or sticks) and prepare for drying, storage,and transport within the trade chain X Scale exchange Location where pangolin scales are transferred between actors in the trade chain Hunters, middlemen, and traders exchange scales for money X Wildlife market Location where scales and other wildlife products are traded Market could be in villages, satellite towns, and capital cities. At these markets, traders and middlemen exchange wildlife products according to prices negotiated and may arrange further distribution to other areas X X Local scale aggregation Local location where pangolin scales collected from different hunters or sellers are brought together and consolidated Middlemen or traders sort, package, and prepare scales for bulk transport, or resell to higher-level dealers within the network, often in local villages X Other wildlife aggregation Local location where other wildlife products collected from different hunters or sellers are brought together and consolidated Middlemen or traders sort, package, and prepare other wildlife products for bulk transport, or resell to higher-level dealers within the network, often in local villages X Scale storage Location where aggregated pangolin scales are kept, cached, or stockpiled Storage may occur in locations including houses, warehouses, or hidden locations to accumulate larger quantities and reduce the risk of detection, often in larger towns or cities X Other wildlife storage Location where other aggregated wildlife products are kept, cached, or stockpiled Storage may occur in houses, warehouses, or hidden locations to accumulate larger quantities and reduce the risk of detection, often in larger towns or cities X Consumption point Location where pangolin scales and other wildlife products, but not meat, are consumed or otherwise used Scales meet the final consumer who will use the scales and other wildlife products, but not meat, for a variety of purposes X X Elude law enforcement Location where team members avoid detection by enforcement authorities These may be villages or towns X

  PublisherDOI

• Additional file 1 of Stigmatizing bioterrorism as a public health concern: The case of anthrax in US media

  Figshare · 2026-03-06

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Supplementary Material 1

  PublisherDOI

• A Place-based Network Approach to Wildlife Poaching: Integrating Network Analysis and Crime Scripting

  2026-04-02

  articleSenior author

  Wildlife poaching poses a serious threat to global biodiversity and species survival, yet effective prevention remains challenging due to its complex spatial and behavioral dynamics. Addressing this multifaceted problem requires interdisciplinary approaches that integrate crime science with geospatial analysis. Rooted in environmental criminology, crime scripting provides a framework for understanding the sequential processes of crime commission, while network analysis offers a place-based perspective for examining how illegal activities are spatially organized. Using poaching in Pù Mát National Park, Vietnam, as a case study, this study constructed a spatially explicit place network dataset structured by four crime-script stages: Preparation, Pre-activity, Activity, and Post-activity. Spatial social network analysis (SSNA) metrics were used to examine network structure and spatial characteristics, including structural density, spatial compactness, directional entropy, and movement distances. Community structure was detected using the Louvain algorithm, and centrality measures identified influential hubs, bottlenecks, and persistent places and movements relevant for intervention prioritization. Results showed that poaching place networks were structurally sparse yet spatially diverse, exhibiting strong community structure and stage-specific spatial patterns. Although simple in structure, poaching activities could be strategically organized through locally structured place-groups, spatial partitioning, brokerage places and movements that facilitate coordination across stages. By integrating crime scripting with SSNA for the first time, this study advanced spatial understanding of wildlife crime and provided actionable insights for place-based intervention. The proposed analyses package is transferable to other conservation crimes contexts to support targeted, stage-specific prevention strategies beyond isolated hotspot interventions.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• ISN2: Detecting and Interdicting Illicit Wildlife Trafficking Supply Chains

  NSF · $795k · 2020–2025

• ISN2: Detecting and Interdicting Illicit Wildlife Trafficking Supply Chains

  NSF · $810k · 2019–2021

• D-ISN: TRACK 2: Disrupting Wildlife Trafficking Networks through Convergence of Physical and Virtual Ecosystems

  NSF · $266k · 2021–2022

Frequent coauthors

• Michelle L. Lute

  Texas State University

  26 shared

• James Shanahan

  Barnet Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust

  21 shared

• Jessica S. Kahler

  21 shared

• Helen U. Agu

  14 shared

• William F. Siemer

  Cornell University

  14 shared

• Shawn J. Riley

  Michigan State University

  13 shared

• Daniel J. Decker

  Cornell University

  13 shared

• Aaron Ferber

  12 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Geography

  University of California, Santa Barbara

  2005

• M.A., Geography

  University of California, Santa Barbara

  2001

• B.A., Geography

  University of California, Santa Barbara

  1999

Awards & honors

• National Academies of Sciences Jefferson Science Fellow
• US Department of State Embassy Science Fellow