Amanda Whitfort, LLB Monash, LLM London, MSc International Animal Welfare Science, Law and Ethics (Edinburgh), Solicitor and Barrister is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong, a Solicitor and Barrister of the Supreme Court of Victoria and the High Court of Australia and a Barrister of the High Court of Hong Kong SAR.  Professor Whitfort specialises in criminal law, environmental law and animal law. Her research focuses on illegal wildlife trade and the protection of animals in greater China.  Ms. Whitfort has published and presented internationally on Criminal and Animal Law and is the leading authority on animal welfare law in Hong Kong. She is the recipient of two government funded public policy research grants focused on improving animal protection legislation and her research and knowledge exchange on animal related laws have resulted in significant legislative and policy change for Hong Kong. In 2017, she was awarded the University’s Knowledge Exchange Excellence Award in recognition of her work’s outstanding societal impact. She currently sits on the Hong Kong government’s Legal Sub-committee advising the Agriculture Fisheries and Conservation Department on animal related law and policy.  Ms. Whitfort has also received ongoing competitive funding to examine illegal wildlife trade in greater-China and her research in this area is used to train prosecutors and judges across Asia. She is the founder of the SVIS Initiative which provides law enforcement authorities worldwide with reliable scientific data assessing the ecological harms caused by wildlife crimes, in form of Species Victim Impact Statements (SVIS). Her research examining loopholes in Hong Kong’s capacity to effectively combat illegal wildlife trade led to the inclusion of wildlife offences in Hong Kong’s Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance in 2021.