Global Ecology and Conservation (Sep 2024)
Communities beyond geographical limitation: The network characteristics of international wildlife trade under the pandemic
Abstract
The international wildlife trade, contributing billions of dollars to global economies and encompassing thousands of species, has increased due to rising demands for wildlife products. Revealing the key participants and trade characteristics across taxa is imperative for sustaining wildlife resources and conservation efforts. To provide a basis for informed wildlife management and trade supervision, we investigated the global wildlife trade's fundamental characteristics and spatial patterns by analyzing transaction records reported to The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) from 2020 to 2022. During this period, the essential demands for wildlife were highlighted due to stricter trade regulations and higher trade costs in response to the suspected wildlife origin of the pandemic. Our analysis highlights the formation of trade communities that are tightly interconnected by strong trade relations in wildlife trade networks, transcending geographical limitations. Unlike the division of the continents, geographical proximity alone does not necessarily contribute to the formation of these trade communities. Germany emerges as the leading importer based on trade frequency, while the Netherlands leads in exports. The main driving forces behind wildlife trades include commercial use (74.98 %), personal use (3.80 %), and hunting trophies (3.19 %). Apart from 44.90 % of flora trades, Reptilia was the primary traded taxa (21.08 %), involving 196 engaged countries/territories with the most mutual connections (27.21 %) and an average of 12.51 shipments to 11.33 nodes. Aves (9.70 %), Mammalia (9.44 %), and Anthozoa (7.62 %) followed. Notably, certain European and Asian countries/territories dominate the import or export of most trades, exhibiting distinct variations across taxa. The United Arab Emirates led the Aves trade, accounting for 15.96 % of global Aves transactions during this period. Similarly, Italy led the Reptilia trades (21.28 %), South Africa led the Mammalia trades (18.72 %), and Indonesia led the trades in Insecta (56.84 %), Hydrozoa (66.96 %), and Anthozoa (56.12 %). Our findings underscore the traded species facing overexploited and the countries most involved, thereby informing proactive monitoring and policy-making for sustainable wildlife conservation and management.
