Library:Cyber-enabled wildlife trade in Central African Countries and Nigeria (report)
Cyber-enabled wildlife trade in Central African Countries and Nigeria is a report on cyber enabled wildlife trade in Central African countries and Nigeria, published by TRAFFIC, a non-governmental organisation working on trade in wild animals and plants in 2022. The report presents the results of a baseline survey of online advertisements for CITES-listed wildlife on various platforms between March 2018 and June 2021. The report also reviews the international, regional and national policies and legislation related to online wildlife trade and provides recommendations for improving regulation and enforcement.
Key takeaways
- The report found 1,267 CITES-listed wildlife products or specimens from a minimum of 43 species offered for sale online in five African countries between March 2018 and June 2021, mostly on classified/listings platforms.
- The most common species offered for sale was the African Grey Parrot, which is endangered and listed in CITES Appendix I, prohibiting commercial trade in wild-sourced specimens. Other threatened species such as the Blue-throated Macaw, the Ostrich, and the Patas monkey were also advertised online.
- Most online advertisements were observed in Nigeria (79%), followed by Cameroon (16%), Gabon (3%), DRC (2%), and Chad (1%). Live specimens represented 70% of all online advertisements, while reptile skin products and wooden products were also common.
- CITES permits were not visible for any online advertisements and only three mentioned CITES paperwork. There was no mention of shipment methods or payment methods for most advertisements, making it difficult for law enforcement to intercept or prove illegal trade.
- The report reviewed regional and national policies and legislation relating to IWT online and found that they were inadequate to regulate and prevent this trade.
- The report recommended updating existing policies to explicitly mention online trade, ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, encouraging online platforms to join the global Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online, creating a unit to focus on investigations and enforcement, developing and sharing a list of priority CITES-listed species, and changing the legislation to make advertising CITES-listed wildlife without permits online illegal.