Wildlife supply chains in Madagascar from local collection to global export

Abstract

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The International Vertebrate Pet Trade Network and Insights from US Imports of Exotic Pets

“…Past research suggests that the geographic locations for collector nodes are likely determined by the native range of the species and by which parts of their geographical range are the easiest for collectors to access, such as those closest to access roads (Ceballos and Fitzgerald 2004 , Gravuer et al 2008 ). The strength of the links between the source and collector node categories—that is, how many animals are collected from the wild—is also influenced by customer demand and the resulting exporter demand (Robinson et al 2018 ), by population density and the seasonal trends of the targeted species (Ceballos and Fitzgerald 2004 , Rabemananjara et al 2008 ), by the regional legality of wild harvest for the pet trade (Nijman et al 2012 ), by individual-level variation in collector skill (Wood 2001 , Ceballos and Fitzgerald 2004 ), and by animal traits (e.g., behavior; Chapple et al 2012 ).…”

“…Aggregator. Once collected from the wild, animals can be transferred through intermediary aggregators prior to export (Natusch and Lyons 2012 , Robinson et al 2018 ). Aggregators are individuals or groups that obtain captured animals from local collectors, often from multiple locations, and consolidate these animals for eventual transfer to international exporting individuals or companies (exporters; figure 1 ).…”

“…Likely geographic locations for aggregator nodes include areas in which target species are common—and therefore in which collection probability is higher—and areas in which transportation costs are lowest, such as regions with access roads and proximity to major cities (Rabemananjara et al 2008 ). Some of the studies we reviewed also suggested that the link strength between different collectors and aggregators may be primarily influenced by the size of the exporters’ business because aggregators typically aim to fill specific orders provided by exporters (Davenport 1996 , Robinson et al 2018 ).…”

“…The legal, international transport of undomesticated vertebrates as pets (hereafter, pet trade ) is widespread and growing (Bush et al 2014 , Lockwood et al 2019 ), involving billions of dollars in trade and millions of animals each year (Karesh et al 2007 , Bush et al 2014 ). The pet trade is therefore a key economic resource, particularly for local traders that depend on it for their income (e.g., Raghavan et al 2013 , Robinson et al 2018 ). Pets also provide important social and human health benefits (McNicholas et al 2005 ), even being considered as family members within some cultures (Lockwood et al 2019 ).…”

Trading Tactics: Time to Rethink the Global Trade in Wildlife

“…For example, when considering the financial impacts of zoonotic diseases alone, the monetary costs associated with pandemics (which potentially may be measured in trillions of dollars annually [ 37 ]) can far outweigh the financial benefits implied by the wildlife trade (which potentially may be measured in billions of dollars annually [ 38 ]). Furthermore, evidence suggests that too often only a relatively small proportion of the economic benefits of commercial wildlife trade reaches the poorest local communities [ 39 ], yet these beneficiaries (and other marginalised communities around the world [ 40 ]) are likely to bear the greatest economic burden and suffer the slowest economic recovery during fallout from a zoonotic disease outbreak [ 41 , 42 ].…”