Mapping illegal wildlife trade networks provides new opportunities for conservation actions

Farine, Damien R.

doi:10.1111/acv.12577

Cited by 9 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…In addition to understanding driving factors and implementing interventions, they may employ pioneering approaches to evaluation, in order to improve efficacy. We agree with Farine (2020) that analytical tools like stochastic actor‐based models could be used to assess changes in trade network dynamics in response to conservation interventions. In the case of RS, for example, it will be possible to assess whether breeders adjust their use of wild‐caught RS in concert with behavior changes observed in their direct network connections.…”

supporting

confidence: 89%

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Illegal wildlife trade networks: finding creative opportunities for conservation intervention in challenging circumstances

Sánchez-Mercado

Cardozo-Urdaneta

Rodríguez-Clark

et al. 2020

Animal Conservation

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The challenges faced by small organizations confronting illegal wildlife trade (IWT) networks can be large and frightening. In a context of high corruption, political instability and social upheaval, obtaining information about actor identities, connections and trade flows may come with risks to personal security. Yet it is precisely in these contexts that illegal wildlife trade may flourish, piggybacking on trade in other contraband items. In our recent work, we examined the hypothesis that such 'parallel' trafficking would dominate trade in a threatened, Neotropical finch, the Red Siskin (RS, Spinus cucullatus) in Venezuela (S anchez-Mercado et al., 2019). Venezuela's economic situation has experienced historic declines since 2014: by 2017,~87% of the population lived in poverty, and from 2013 -2018, GDP fell over 45% (España & Ponce, 2017). We expected the lure of 'hard' foreign currency, combined with widespread lawlessness, to drive IWT in this bird, in parallel with other illicit items. In spite of these conditions, although we did find an active and complex RS trade network, we found little evidence for parallel trade, and instead found a network reliant on specialized logistical capacity for transport and enforcement evasion, as well as intermediaries with specialized skills. While this finding of an active network was not good news, the network structure we found presents unexpected opportunities for small organizations up against this trade challenge, particularly in a South American context.We are grateful to Farine (2020), Tsang (2020) and Kahler (2020) for their generous and valuable insights about our study, and their careful note of caveats and recommendations for future work. For example, we agree that finding no evidence for parallel trade does not mean such trade does not exist. As Kahler (2020) and Tsang (2020) note, detection of parallel trade is not simple, though our failure to find evidence of it is likely due less to under reporting by interview subjects (who freely shared information about contacts), than to insufficient sampling effort, particularly among potential international colluders and intermediaries. However, parallel trafficking is just one way that an IWT network may operate, with its organized pyramidal structure, and fluxes dominated by monopolistic or power figures, as in the case of rhino, ivory, or tiger products. The structure of the Neotropical parrot trade network presents another such alternative (Pires, Schneider, & Herrera, 2016). Similar to their findings, we found little formal organization between or among actors. This modus operandi, although not exclusive to South American countries, may be driven by their general lack of environmental law enforcement: ordinary individuals may participate in IWT, with low risk and without need for organized crime groups. Thus, our lack of detection of parallel trade may reflect reality, and not just sampling bias.The potential reality of a significant 'specialized' rather than parallel trade in RS is not only less frightening, i...

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confidence: 89%

“…We are grateful to Farine (2020), Tsang (2020) and Kahler (2020) for their generous and valuable insights about our study, and their careful note of caveats and recommendations for future work. For example, we agree that finding no evidence for parallel trade does not mean such trade does not exist.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Illegal wildlife trade networks: finding creative opportunities for conservation intervention in challenging circumstances

Sánchez-Mercado

Cardozo-Urdaneta

Rodríguez-Clark

et al. 2020

Animal Conservation

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“…Social network analysis has already been used to identify key countries that play crucial roles in the illegal trade network of African parrots [3,98]. A wider application of this approach could help to improve our understanding of the interaction among actors and products, which in turn could help to identify opportunities for conservation intervention tailored to the specific actor group [101][102][103][104]. Recent research in the Red Siskin (Spinus cucullatus), a globally Endangered finch threatened by illegal trade, combined tools from social network analysis, interviews, social media monitoring, and the literature to describe the trade network for this species [101], which could be applied to the illegal parrot trade.…”

Section: Actions Across Regions: Facts Gaps and Opportunitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Literature Synthesis of Actions to Tackle Illegal Parrot Trade

Sánchez-Mercado

Rodrı́guez

et al. 2021

Diversity

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The order Psittaciformes is one of the most prevalent groups in the illegal wildlife trade. Efforts to understand this threat have focused on describing the elements of the trade itself: actors, extraction rates, and routes. However, the development of policy-oriented interventions also requires an understanding of how research aims and actions are distributed across the trade chain, regions, and species. We used an action-based approach to review documents published on illegal Psittaciformes trade at a global scale to analyze patterns in research aims and actions. Research increased exponentially in recent decades, recording 165 species from 46 genera, with an over representation of American and Australasian genera. Most of the research provided basic knowledge for the intermediary side of the trade chain. Aims such as the identification of network actors, zoonosis control, and aiding physical detection had numerous but scarcely cited documents (low growth rate), while behavior change had the highest growth rate. The Americas had the highest diversity of research aims, contributing with basic knowledge, implementation, and monitoring across the whole trade chain. Better understanding of the supply side dynamics in local markets, actor typology, and actor interactions are needed. Protecting areas, livelihood incentives, and legal substitutes are actions under-explored in parrots, while behavior change is emerging.

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“…The interception of smuggled animals and animal parts is a common occurrence in the enforcement of wildlife trade legislation in many countries [4,5]. The ability to determine where the animal (or part) has come from, its' provenance, is essential for conservationists and enforcement agencies to address the 2 source of the trade allowing for targeted enforcement actions [6], repatriation of seized animals [7], and for education and conservation actions [8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Keratinous tissues, e.g., feathers, scales, and scutes, provide a chemically inert record of diet over time [45] allowing for the study of provenance [45][46][47]. This is critical in determining the source of animals traded in the illegal wildlife markets [6,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determining the Provenance of Traded Wildlife in the Philippines

Brandis¹,

Meagher²,

Schoppe³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The illegal wildlife trade is a significant threat to global biodiversity, often targeting already threatened species. In combating the trade, it is critical to know the provenance of the traded animal or part, to facilitate targeted conservation actions, such as education and enforcement. Here we present and compare two methods, portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) and stable isotope analysis (SIA), to determine both the geographic and source provenance (captive or wild) of traded animals and their parts. Using three critically endangered, frequently illegally traded Philippine species, the Palawan forest turtle (Siebenrockiella leytensis), the Philippine cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia), and the Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensisis) we demonstrate that using these methods we can more accurately assign provenance using pXRF data (x ̅ = 83%), than SIA data (x ̅ = 47%). Our results indicate that these methods provide a valuable forensic tool that can be used in combating the illegal wildlife trade.

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Mapping illegal wildlife trade networks provides new opportunities for conservation actions

Cited by 9 publications

References 10 publications

Illegal wildlife trade networks: finding creative opportunities for conservation intervention in challenging circumstances

Illegal wildlife trade networks: finding creative opportunities for conservation intervention in challenging circumstances

A Literature Synthesis of Actions to Tackle Illegal Parrot Trade

Determining the Provenance of Traded Wildlife in the Philippines

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