Online trade of live freshwater turtles and tortoises in the Philippines
2023
Sy, E.Y. | Lorenzo, A.N. II
Freshwater turtles and tortoises are highly threatened by illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade. The trade has been thriving online, particularly on social media platforms, in recent decades. A two-year online survey was conducted on 20 Facebook groups in 20192020 and reviewed CITES trade data from 19902019 (30 yrs) to elucidate chelonian trade dynamics in the Philippines. A total of 5,801 individuals representing 77 taxa were documented for sale on Facebook in 20192020. The 10 most commonly traded species represented 79% of the total quantity, and Centrochelys sulcata (n = 1,211) was the most offered for sale. The analysis of 307 CITES trade records showed that the Philippines imported between 3,365 (importer-reported) and 4,279 (exporter-reported) live chelonians of 39 species from 21 countries and territories during the 30-yr period. There were 23 CITES Appendix-listed species, including six species listed on Appendix I, documented for sale on Facebook but without import records from the CITES Trade Database such as Astrochelys radiata (n = 47), Astrochelys yniphora (n = 2), Geochelone platynota (n = 30), Geoclemys hamiltonii (n = 30), Pangshura tecta (n = 42), and Pyxis arachnoides (n = 3). Whereas the origins of these species were uncertain (e.g. pre-CITES convention; smuggled), some individuals may be poached from the wild, recently smuggled, and illegally offered in the country. The results showed that the wildlife trade continues to thrive on Facebook. Greater cooperation among conservation groups, wildlife authorities, and social media platforms and appropriate actions are urgently needed to curtail illegal online wildlife trade proliferation.
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