Illegal Trade of Tortoises (Testudinata) in Colombia: A Network Analysis Approach

The importance of cryptic diversity in the conservation of wide‐ranging species: The red‐footed tortoise Chelonoidis carbonarius in Colombia

“…It contains a high level of genetic diversity distributed in four management units, two of which are in the Tropical Dry Forest, a biome that has been reduced to less than 9% of its original extent (García et al, 2014), and their populations are small and decreasing (Castaño‐Mora & Medem, 2002). And third, we note that C. carbonarius is the second most common turtle species that finds its way into governmental agencies of Colombia (Arroyave Bermudez et al, 2014), and most of these individuals are repatriated without knowing their provenance or lineage. The interbreeding of previously reproductively isolated populations at a minimum compromise their genetic integrity, but may well lead to outbreeding depression and population decline (Frankham et al, 2011), given the levels of adaptive variation that we document.…”

“…Currently, this species is frequently held in rudimentary enclosures as pets (Castaño‐Mora & Lugo‐Rugeles, 1981) where they can easily escape and reintegrate into wild populations. They are also commonly moved by their owners or released into the wild by governmental agencies when they are confiscated or voluntarily turned over to authorities (Arroyave Bermudez et al, 2014). In all likelihood, this human‐mediated movement explains the more recent admixture observed between the two clusters.…”

Multiplex networks reveal geographic constraints on illicit wildlife trafficking

“…Additional characteristics of the system could serve as explanatory factors of the dynamics of trafficking. For instance, it has been reported in analysis based on singlespecies trafficking that market structure is associated with geographic distribution of species, regional cultural heritage, and economic disparities between supply and demand places (Arroyave et al 2014;Bonilla et al 2012;Brashares et al 2011;Sánchez et al 2016). Increasing the number of families (plexes) considered within our analysis contributes to the understanding of a larger picture of wildlife trafficking in the country.…”

“…Wildlife trafficking is a wicked problem affecting thousands of wild species (Robinson et al 2015;Rosen and Smith 2010) and communities (Oldfield 2003;Wyatt 2013), and with the potential to expand toward new species and countries (Scheffers et al 2019) as a multi-scalar phenomenon (see, Arroyave et al 2014;Biggs et al 2017;Broad et al 2003;Patel et al 2015). The convergence of ecological and socio-cultural dimensions of wildlife trafficking give rise to a management paradox at the intersection of wildlife conservation and cultural sustainability.…”

“…2 Species play a major role in local economies, rural gastronomy, and for cultural practices and beliefs (Rao et al 2011). Although demand for species is usually associated to traditional medicines and bush meat, there are also large markets for trophies, pets, and other sumptuary uses (Arroyave et al 2014;Patel et al 2015). There is not a consensus regarding the value of these markets, estimations vary from some tens to hundreds of billions, annually (Chomel et al 2007;Rosen and Smith 2010).…”