Tourism, international wildlife trade and the (in)effectiveness of CITES

Abstract

Summary There are clear links between tourism and the international wildlife trade, especially in countries with high levels of biodiversity and high numbers of international tourists. In the absence of clear regulations and implementation of existing policies, tourists can inadvertently have a negative impact on the environment, including through items bought as souvenirs. Bali is one of the world’s premier tourist destinations. We investigated legally protected species that are offered for sale specifically targeting tourists in Bali. During December 2022–June 2023, we surveyed 66 shops offering curios (skulls, bones, carvings) of animals for which the international trade is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). We found items from >500 individuals of 20 CITES-listed species, including primate skulls, ivory carvings and decorated shells. According to vendors, there would be no problem exporting these items despite the absence of CITES permits. Export records over the last two decades provided by the Indonesian authorities, mostly indicating no exports, contrast sharply with our observations in Bali. A short but effective campaign as a collaborative effort between industry, tourism operators, local and expatriate communities and government agencies could result in a drastic reduction of protected and/or CITES-listed species ending up in trade.

Trade of skulls as novelty and aquarium objects are an additional threat to porcupines

“…None were recorded in Legian, Beringkit, Denpasar or Jimbaran. Thirty-three of the skulls were carved and most of these were stained yellow, grey or brown to make them appear older (this is common practice in the Bali animal curio trade: Chavez et al 2024). We obtained two independent quotes for carved porcupine skulls of USD 66 and USD 56 (vendors indicated that the price would go down after bartering something we did not do).…”

“…In general, the shops selling wildlife are situated along the main streets and prominently display their wares; it is no challenge locating them (Chavez et al 2023). For shops that were visited during both periods we compared the items for sale and report only a minimum number, avoiding double counting (Chavez et al 2024). In June, July, and November 2023 we searched the internet for porcupine skulls offered for sale by traders that were based in Bali (keywords for searching: landak, tengkorak, jual, porcupine skull, sale).…”

Parrot Trade and the Potential Risk of Psittacosis as a Zoonotic Disease in Indonesian Bird Markets

“…This necessitates a controlled response and measures to mitigate risk of zoonotic disease transmission (there are frameworks and protocols in place for this already [76][77][78][79][80] and in an Indonesian context this could follow to what has been argued for the wildlife trade linked to tourism: Ref. [81]). We did not see any evidence of this during our 176 surveys of these bird markets, and this is something that should cause concern from a public health perspective and is something that needs to be addressed.…”