ABSTRACT
Vigilantes are members of a self-appointed group of citizens who undertake law enforcement in their community without legal authority, typically because the legal agencies are thought to be inadequate. Vigilantes resurrect images of the Wild West, where citizens take justice into their own hands in towns where no form of centralized governance has been established or enforced. Environmentalists have in the past used tactics which resulted in some being called “eco-radicals.” It has been suggested that gene drives could address disease vectors, invasive species and other conservation problems. Are we beginning to see new “eco-radicals” emerge from the conservation community in relation to gene drives? These technologies are not restricted to traditional actors and are being developed within a governance and risk assessment void. This chapter will explore a series of questions related to the use of gene drives as a tool for conservation. It will not prescribe whether or not these are the “right” solutions for conservation, but rather whether they signify a shift in the broader environmental community toward an eco-radical framework and whether society can accept that people will choose to use these technologies in ways with which we may not all agree.
