Wildlife trade on e-commerce sites in China, with a focus on mammoth ivory: A Rapid Assessment

By Sarah Stoner and Jenny Feltham.

‘Wildlife trade on e-commerce sites in China, with a focus on mammoth ivory: A Rapid Assessment’, analysis of this research reveals that the majority of advertised wildlife products are legally permitted for sale. However, the prevalence of mammoth ivory found legally for sale raises concerns about perpetuating demand for elephant ivory products which is now illegal in China. Our research looked at e-commerce platforms like Alibaba and 1688, allowing us to conclude that measures taken by these platforms and by the Chinese government have helped curb online sales of illegal wildlife products. The research identified 4,297 advertisements of wildlife, parts and derivatives, in total, 637 (15%) advertisements were identified as referring to the sale of Protected species, while a minimum of 3,657 (85%) of the identified advertisements were classified as Not Protected and therefore are deemed to be legal. Items derived from mammoth ivory were the most common type of wildlife product for sale on these platforms.

The Hague: Wildlife Justice Commission, 2021. 35p.