Evaluating the relationships between the legal and illegal international wildlife trades
Date of Publication
1-1-2023 12:00 AM
Security Theme
Transnational Organized Crime
Keywords
Wildlife trade, legal and illegal trade, wildlife seizures, international wildlife trades
Description
This study which examined the relationship between the legal and illegal wildlife trades in the US and EU found a significant but weak overall positive relationship between seizure volumes and reported trade. Twenty-eight US and twenty EU products derived from CITES-listed species with high volume and frequency of both reported trade and seizures were examined. The study had three main objectives: to compare relative volumes of legal trade and seizures for products entering the US and the EU; to test for statistically significant associations over time; and to assess the utility of these data to inform species conservation and policy responses. Results found that the analysis into trade identified significant taxon-products representing a large trade number. There was also a significant positive overall relationship between legal trade and seizure volume over time, though this result varies among taxon products. On average, seizures added 28% and 9% to US and EU reported legal trade levels, and in some cases exceeded legal imports. The findings suggest a complex and nuanced temporal association between the illegal and legal wildlife trades, with seizure volumes representing a substantial portion of trade volume in the US. The study emphasizes the importance of long-term records of border seizures and enforcement efforts to assess legal and illegal wildlife flows globally.
Evaluating the relationships between the legal and illegal international wildlife trades
This study which examined the relationship between the legal and illegal wildlife trades in the US and EU found a significant but weak overall positive relationship between seizure volumes and reported trade. Twenty-eight US and twenty EU products derived from CITES-listed species with high volume and frequency of both reported trade and seizures were examined. The study had three main objectives: to compare relative volumes of legal trade and seizures for products entering the US and the EU; to test for statistically significant associations over time; and to assess the utility of these data to inform species conservation and policy responses. Results found that the analysis into trade identified significant taxon-products representing a large trade number. There was also a significant positive overall relationship between legal trade and seizure volume over time, though this result varies among taxon products. On average, seizures added 28% and 9% to US and EU reported legal trade levels, and in some cases exceeded legal imports. The findings suggest a complex and nuanced temporal association between the illegal and legal wildlife trades, with seizure volumes representing a substantial portion of trade volume in the US. The study emphasizes the importance of long-term records of border seizures and enforcement efforts to assess legal and illegal wildlife flows globally.
