By The Environmental Investigation Agency

A thriving online illegal trade in the swim bladders of endangered totoaba fish is helping to drive the vaquita porpoise to the brink of extinction.

Vaquita are the most endangered marine mammal on the planet and exist only in a small area of Mexico’s Gulf of California. It is estimated as few as 10 individuals remain, with the population devastated in the past decade as a result of being caught in illegal gillnets set to capture totoabas.

Totoaba swim bladders – known as maws – are in high demand in China and, increasingly, in other Asian countries as a symbol of wealth and for their purported, but unproven, medicinal value.

London: EIA, 2024. 20p.

By Lucy Vigne and Esmond Martin

Executive summary ■ From 2013 to 2016, Laos’s retail ivory market has expanded more rapidly than in any other country surveyed recently. ■ Laos has not been conforming with CITES regulations that prohibit the import and export of ivory. Since joining CITES in 2004, only one ivory seizure into Laos has been reported to the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS). ■ Almost no arrests, let alone prosecutions and punishments, have been made of smugglers with ivory coming in or out of the country. ■ Most worked ivory for sale in Laos originates from elephants poached in Africa. ■ Ivory has also been entering Laos illegally from Thailand, as Thai traders have been offloading their ivory following the imposition of much stricter regulations there. ■ In late 2013 the average wholesale price of raw ivory sold by Lao traders peaked at about USD 2,000/kg. ■ By late 2016, the average wholesale price of raw ivory in Laos had declined to USD 714/kg, in line with prices elsewhere in the region. This price was much higher than in African countries, such as Sudan (Omdurman/Khartoum), where the average wholesale price of ivory was USD 279/kg in early 2017. This price differential is due to the extra expenses incurred in transport and bribes to government officials on the long journey to Asia. ■ In Laos, the decline in the wholesale price of raw ivory between 2013 and 2016, as elsewhere in the region, was mainly due to the slowdown in China’s economy, that resulted in an oversupply of illegal ivory, relative to demand. ■ Ivory items seen for sale in Laos are carved or machine-processed in Vietnam by Vietnamese and smuggled into Laos for sale, or are processed by Chinese traders in Laos on new computerdriven machines. Ivory carving by Lao people is insignificant. ■ In Laos, the survey found 81 retail outlets with ivory on view for retail sale, 40 of which were in the capital, Vientiane, 21 in Luang Prabang, 8 in Kings Romans, 5 in Oudom Xay, 3 in Pakse, 2 in Dansavanh Nam Ngum Resort and 2 in Luang Nam Tha. ■ The survey counted 13,248 ivory items on display for sale, nearly all recently made to suit Chinese tastes. Vientiane had 7,014 items for sale, Luang Prabang 4,807, Kings Romans 1,014, Dansavanh Nam Ngum Resort 291, Oudom Xay 93, Luang Nam Tha 16, and Pakse 13. ■ Most outlets, displaying the majority of worked ivory, also sold souvenirs, Chinese herbal teas or jewellery, or were hotel gift shops. ■ Outlets were usually owned by traders from mainland China. The number of Chinese-owned shops had risen in Laos from none recorded in the early 2000s to several in 2013, including one main shop in Vientiane’s Chinese market and two on the main tourist street of Luang Prabang. By 2016, there were 22 and 15 outlets, respectively, in these two areas, both of which are popular with Chinese visitors. By 2016, Chinese outlets with ivory had also sprung up in other locations, mainly those visited by the increasing number of Chinese. ■ In 2016, the most common ivory items for sale were pendants, followed by necklaces, bangles, beaded bracelets and other jewellery, similar to items for sale in 2013, but in far larger quantities. ■ The least expensive item was a thin ring for USD 3 and the most expensive was a pair of polished tusks for USD 25,000. ■ Retail prices for ivory items of similar type were higher than elsewhere in Kings Romans, which is visited primarily by wealthier Chinese visitors with money to spend. ■ Mainland Chinese buy over 80% of the ivory items in Laos today. There are sometimes buyers from South Korea and other Asian countries, according to vendors. ■ Laotians today generally buy amulets that are made of bone or synthetic material, rather than ivory items.

Nairobi, Kenya: Save the Elephants, 2027. 92p.

By Michelle Anagnostou

The intensified illegal trade of wildlife has contributed to the unsustainable decline of wildlife populations, the destabilization of ecosystems, and threatens economic development and human security. Though often lacking empirical evidence, convergence theory has emerged recently as a topic of interest among researchers, practitioners, and the media to explain the growing overlap of criminal activities in an increasingly globalized world. In this paper, I explain the interdisciplinary theoretical foundations for the interconnectivity of criminal networks, including connections between illegal wildlife trade networks and non-state armed groups. I also outline and discuss various perspectives on the convergence of the illegal wildlife trade with other organized crime activities. I conclude by highlighting the urgent need for a better understanding of the role of the organized criminal groups involved in the illegal wildlife trade, and of how these groups converge with other types of criminal activities. The policy implications of filling in this knowledge gap are twofold: firstly, understanding how criminal networks converge can facilitate the implementation of more effective law enforcement and investigations that target high-profile offenders, as opposed to focusing on low-level poachers; and secondly, this understanding can foster more cooperation across agencies and jurisdictions to address multiple crime types and crime in convergence settings

Environmental Challenges. Volume 5, December 2021, 100222

By R. Nishino and T. Kitade  

 TRAFFIC conducted online surveys to track changes after voluntary ivory bans were introduced from November 2019 on Yahoo Shopping and Yahoo Auction, Japan’s largest platforms for online ivory trade, following similar voluntary bans already implemented by Rakuten-Ichiba, Rakuma and Mercari. The trading practices of a major auction house, Mainchi Auction, and trends in illegal ivory exports were also examined to understand better the domestic ivory market in Japan. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to assess physical markets. RESULTS: Effective measures by companies The number of shops selling ivory on Yahoo Shopping and Rakuten-Ichiba as B2C (business to consumer) trade and the volume of ivory trade on Yahoo Auction, a mixture of B2C and C2C (consumer to consumer) trade, have reduced by almost 100% and more than 99%, respectively as a result of the platform-wide voluntary ivory ban. There was no observable shift in either B2C or C2C trade to other platforms after the introduction of the ivory ban on Yahoo’s platforms. Monitoring of ivory bans by companies such as Mercari and Rakuma was seen to have been effective 

TRAFFIC, Japan Office, Tokyo, Japan., 2020. 30p.

By The Wildlife Justice Commission

Rhino horn trafficking remains a severe problem that needs to be addressed with a new sense of urgency as transnational organised crime. Over the past 10 years, the illegal killing of rhinos and trafficking of their horns has grown as a global criminal enterprise, comprising multiple criminal components dominated by greed and the pursuit of substantial profits. This threat assessment presents a comprehensive analysis of rhino horn trafficking during the decade from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2021. It was compiled following analysis of 674 rhino horn seizure incidents collected from open-source reports that occurred globally during this decade, in addition to seven years of criminal intelligence and findings from Wildlife Justice Commission investigations into rhino horn trafficking conducted since 2015, and other open-source research. This assessment aims to examine the driving forces behind the trade and changes in the criminal landscape. It also considers the threat to rhinos in 2022, with recommendations to help inform interventions to address this issue and ensure the global response is commensurate and appropriately targeted to current and future needs.

The Hague: Wildlife Justice Commission, 2022. 27p.

By Jos´e Luis Carpio Domínguez , In´es Arroyo Quiroz , María Teresa Villarreal Martínez , Jesús Ignacio Castro Salazar

This study examines the possession of Tigers (Panthera tigris) as pets in Mexico through statistical analysis of governmental seizures on a period of 11 years, a review of socio-political factors related to this phenomenon and an analysis of a particular illicit supply network of a Tiger (P. tigris) specimen seized from a criminal group in northern Tamaulipas, Mexico. We found that socio-political factors such as the prohibition on the use of animals for circuses; environmental regulation strategies; the dominance of criminal groups in most of the Mexican territory and their traditional interest in exotic animals have an influence in the presence of tigers in private homes and ranches. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of the possession of exotic animals, wildlife illegal networks and wildlife trafficking in Mexico.

Forensic Science International: Animals and Environments. Volume 2, December 2022,

By Alin Kadfak, Kate Barclay, and Andrew M. Song

Focusing on the experiences of Thailand and Australia, this book examines the impact of trade-restrictive measures as related to the EU’s regulations to prevent Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. It is widely accepted that IUU fishing is harmful, and should be stopped, but there are different approaches to tackling it. Acknowledging this, this book argues that major efforts to fight IUU fishing require careful analyses if the goal is to achieve optimal results and avoid unintended consequences. The book draws on the recent experiences of Thailand and Australia to offer an empirical examination of one increasingly prominent solution, trade-restrictive measures. With Thailand representing direct, active intervention by the EU and Australia a more indirect dispersion of policy narratives and discourses, the book provides a rounded view on how likely it is that different countries in different situations will adapt to the changing policy norms regarding IUU fishing. Understanding the reactions of countries who might be targeted, or otherwise be influenced by the policy, generates new knowledge that helps inform a more effective and scalable implementation of the policy on the part of the EU and a better governance preparedness on the part of non-EU fishing nations. In broader terms, this book exposes a key moment of change in the compatibility between environmental regulations and international trade. The EU IUU policy is a prime example of a policy that uses the mechanisms of international trade to account for environmental and conservation objectives. …

Abingdon, Oxon, UK ; New York: Routledge, 2023. 95p.

By Lucy Vigne and Esmond Martin

The report ‘Myanmar’s Growing Illegal Ivory Trade with China’ released today (subs: October 2, 2018) shows that one town in particular, Mong La - a frontier town in the notorious Golden Triangle on the border of China - has experienced a ‘prolific growth’ in ivory trading. The number of new ivory items seen for sale in the town grew by 63% in three years, and now accounts for over a third of the ivory seen in the country.

The report by ivory trade specialists Lucy Vigne and Esmond Martin recounts how Chinese visitors smuggle worked ivory from Mong La back home with little concern about getting caught. This ivory has often come up the Mekong River into the lawless eastern periphery of Myanmar where it is for sale in both retail and bulk. The wholesale price for African raw ivory in late 2017 in the Golden Triangle region has remained stable at about USD 770 to USD 800 per kg since late 2015.

Myanmar has the largest captive, or ‘domestic’, elephant population in the world with over 5,000 individuals. Traders there say that the internal ivory trade is legal for trimmed domestic elephant tusk tips and from licensed animals that have died, and operate accordingly. (Trading in the tusks of the remaining wild elephants in Myanmar – numbering perhaps 2,000 – is acknowledged to be illegal). The ivory from captive elephants is used for local carving and retail sale especially in Mandalay and Yangon. Their tusks are also sold wholesale in Mandalay to Chinese traders, who smuggle them across the China border in contravention of the existing international ivory trade ban.

Traders reported that 90% of buyers were Chinese wishing to smuggle the ivory home, as also found by the same authors in market surveys in Hong Kong (2015) and Laos (2017). In Vietnam (2016) this was estimated to be 75%.

Nairobi, Kenya: Save the Elephants, 2018. 92p.

By Tomomi Kitade, Masayuki Sakamoto, Chris Madden Hof

Japan customs records reported 564 kg of hawksbill tortoiseshell seized in 71 incidents between 2000 and 2019, representing some 530 Hawksbill Turtles. Over half was seized between 2015 and 2019 alone. The Hawksbill Turtle is listed as “Critically Endangered” in the IUCN Red List. In recent years, the major source region appears to have shifted from Southeast Asia to the Caribbean. The report highlights the current marine turtle trade situation in Japan, including the trends in illegal commodity imports —hawksbill tortoiseshell, in particular—and an analysis of manufacturers’ stockpiles, domestic regulations, and online trade.

Tokyo: World Wildlife Fund for Japan, 2021. 16p.

By Julie Ayling

Demand reduction has now been recognised as crucial to prevention of wildlife crime, but ideas for effectively decreasing demand are still in short supply. Two demand reduction strategies currently predominate, consumer education campaigns and legal prohibitions on consumption. But further strategies need to be found urgently, as Earth is losing wildlife at frightening rates. This paper argues for greater regulatory pluralism and a more systematic approach to addressing demand. The complex and multi-layered concept of demand is unpacked and current demand reduction activities by states and non-state actors are discussed. The paper identifies third parties (non-state non-offending actors) in prime positions to intervene to reduce demand and sets out diverse ways in which their capacities could be harnessed as part of a whole-of-society demand reduction response.

Canberra: RegNet School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University; European University Institute Dept of Law, 2015. 23p.

By Jiang Nan

The illegal ivory trade fuels illegal elephant poaching in both Africa and Asia. The illegal ivory trade in China is considered a key threat to the survival of the elephant species: since 2009, China has become the largest illegal ivory market in the world. Although China has uncovered a great number of cases of illegal ivory trade with the seizure of illegal ivory in the past decade, this trade is still growing. A deeper understanding of the nature and patterns of illegal ivory trade through an analysis of ivory seizure data should improve the efficiency of efforts to prevent the illegal ivory trade in China. This paper analyses data on 106 seizures of illegal ivory that was collected from Chinese news reports between 1999 and 2014, with a particular focus on its frequency and illegal trade ‘hotspot’ locations in China. The analysis found three illegal ivory trade cycles (2001–2005, 2006–2010, and 2011–2014) and four hotspots. Preventing the illegal ivory trade will require more international cooperation and coordination between China and other countries,

Canberra: Transnational Environmental Crime Project, Department of International Relations, Australian National University, 2015. 17p.

By United Nations Environment Programme; CITES, IUCN, TRAFFIC

This rapid response assessment report brings together critical up-to-date information from the CITES-recognized systems that monitor the status of elephants, the illegal killing of elephants, and the legal and illegal trade in ivory. Collectively, these systems deliver consistent, evidence-based information to improve our understanding of the dynamics of the illegal ivory supply chain

Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Environment Programme, Arendal, NO: GRID-Arendal, 2013. 80p.

By U.S. Government Accountability Office

Illegal trade in wildlife—wildlife trafficking—continues to push some protected and endangered animal species to the brink of extinction, according to the Department of State. Wildlife trafficking undermines conservation efforts, can fuel corruption, and destabilizes local communities that depend on wildlife for biodiversity and ecotourism revenues. This trade is estimated to be worth $7 billion to $23 billion annually. In 2013, President Obama issued an executive order that established the interagency Task Force charged with developing a strategy to guide U.S. efforts on this issue. GAO was asked to review U.S. government efforts to combat wildlife trafficking. This report focuses on wildlife trafficking in Africa, particularly of large animals, and examines, among other things, (1) what is known about the security implications of wildlife trafficking and its consequences, (2) actions Task Force agencies are taking to combat wildlife trafficking, and (3) the extent to which the Task Force assesses its progress. GAO analyzed agency documents and met with U.S. and host country officials in Washington, D.C.; Kenya; South Africa; and Tanzania. What GAO Recommends GAO recommends that the Secretaries of State and the Interior and the Attorney General of the United States, as co-chairs, jointly work with the Task Force to develop performance targets related to the National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking Implementation Plan. Agencies agreed with GAO’s recommendation.

Washington, GAO, 2016. 58p.

By Seneca Creek Associates, LLC and Wood Resources International, LLC

Illegal logging has been high on the agenda, if not directly at the center, of numerous international conferences on forests. This attention stems in large part from environmental concern over deforestation and poor forest management practices in many developing countries and countries with economies in transition. Illegal harvesting can have deleterious impacts on biodiversity and other globally important environmental services. Among the factors driving illegal logging are: unclear or poorly enforced forest tenure, weak political institutions, poverty, corruption, inadequate natural resources planning and monitoring, and lax enforcement of sovereign laws and regulations. The presence of illegally procured wood fiber also affects the competitiveness of American and other producers who operate legitimately within national and international environmental and trade rules. An AF&PA-sponsored study of the illegal logging issue provides new perspective on the estimates of illegal logging and its associated economic impacts.

Poolesville, MD: Seneca Creek Associates; University Place, WA : Wood Resources International, 2004. 190p.

By Liana Sun Wyler and Pervaze A. Sheikh

Global trade in illegal wildlife is a growing illicit economy, estimated to be worth at least 5 billion and potentially in excess of 20 billion annually. Some of the most lucrative illicit wildlife commodities include tiger parts, caviar, elephant ivory, rhino horn, and exotic birds and reptiles. Demand for illegally obtained wildlife is ubiquitous, and some suspect that illicit demand is growing. International wildlife smuggling may be of interest to Congress as it presents several potential environmental and national security threats to the United States. Threats to the environment include the potential loss of biodiversity, introduction of invasive species into U.S. ecosystems, and transmission of disease through illegal wildlife trade. National security threats include links between wildlife trafficking and organized crime and drug trafficking. The role of Congress in evaluating U.S. policy to combat wildlife trafficking is broad. Potential issues for Congress include 1 determining funding levels for U.S. wildlife trade inspection and investigation 2 evaluating the effectiveness of U.S. foreign aid to combat wildlife trafficking 3 developing ways to encourage private sector involvement in regulating the wildlife trade 4 using trade sanctions to penalize foreign countries with weak enforcement of wildlife laws 5 incorporating wildlife trade provisions into free trade agreements and 6 addressing the domestic and international demand for illegal wildlife through public awareness campaigns and non-governmental organization partnerships. This report focuses on the international trade in terrestrial fauna, largely excluding trade in illegal plants, including timber, and fish.

Washington, DC: U.S. Congressional Research Service,The Library of Congress, 2008. 52p.

By Roger Ngoufo; Hubert Tsague D.; Matthias Waltert

In the African rainforest zone, wildlife can provide up to 70 % of animal protein to the population and is used for various cultural reasons (e.g. tastes, food habits, rituals and prestige). Cameroonians have become famous for their attachment to the consumption of game meat. Moreover, the availability of wildlife maintains a variety of public services, forming the basis of substantial numbers of public and informal jobs in the branches of transport and trade. But this natural and cultural heritage is severely threatened by the intensification of illegal activities, including the destruction of habitats and poaching. This book questions the current legal framework of wildlife resources management in Cameroon, asks whether the country’s legislation could be improved towards a sustainable exploitation of wildlife resources and makes concrete suggestions for a possible reform.

Göttingen: University of Gottingen, 2014. 110p.

By Arias Goetschel

The Illegal Trade in Wildlife (IWT) is one of the most cumbersome threats currently facing biodiversity, with broad implications for the health and wellbeing of humans and nature. Over the past decade, reports of international illegal trade in jaguars (Panthera onca), with links to demand from Asian wildlife markets, have emerged throughout Latin America, raising the profile of jaguars as the emblem of Latin America’s fight against IWT. This DPhil is among the first to explore the characteristics, prevalence, and drivers of this threat to jaguars, with the goal of providing scientific evidence in support of ongoing and future projects and policies aimed at addressing it. Data collection efforts centred in Mesoamerica and Bolivia, two areas with varying degrees of evidence of international trade, and were based on interviews with enforcement agents and conservation practitioners, and questionnaire surveys with rural communities coexisting with jaguars. In both study areas, the illegal jaguar trade was found to be a prevalent, domestically-focused, and opportunistic activity, driven largely by the confluence of cultural traditions surrounding wildlife uses, forest-dependent livelihoods, and negative perceptions and interactions with jaguars, manifested through human-jaguar conflict. To a lesser degree, the trade was also influenced by a more diverse set of external actors and drivers than originally expected, including tourists of diverse backgrounds, regional immigrants, and traders of Asian-decent. Enabling factors ranged from critical limitations in the enforcement capacity of wildlife authorities, to a high social acceptability of jaguar killing in rural communities. Additionally, the DPhil highlighted biases in how those in charge of addressing the illegal trade in jaguars perceive and use evidence on the trade, with a tendency to disregard its reliability and conservation relevance. To address this issue, the DPhil provides guidelines towards a more objective decision-making on the illegal wildlife trade, and reinforces the need for evidence-based, multifaceted, counter-trafficking approaches that consider the complex interacting domestic and international, cultural and commercial drivers behind the illegal trade in jaguars.

Oxford, UK: St. Cross College, University of Oxford, 2021. 244p.

By Tanya Wyatt

The illegal wildlife trade is a prevalent crime that has not been explored by criminologists, who could contribute to the exploration of its impacts and its perpetration and thus recommend ways to reduce it. Traditional criminology has been legally positivistic, which ignores environmental structural harms that remain within the norm of the legal sphere. The emerging field of green criminology, keeping with the critical tradition in criminology, considers harms, but this is applied in an anthropocentric or speciesist manner. Using two case studies of wildlife trafficking in Russia Far East (fur and falcon), this research seeks to expand these limited concepts. This enhancement is accomplished through the development of a new perspective called deep green criminology that can be applied to other green crimes as well. With this ecocentric stance that recognizes the intrinsic value of all species and their right to humane treatment and a life free from suffering, other beings and the harms against them and the environment become visible as subjects of criminological inquiry. In this research this means exploration not only of activities defined as crimes (iIlegal trade of endangered species), not only of environmental harms which affect humans and certain species singled out by humans (poaching and capturing of charismatic fauna), but also includes harms that fall outside of these distinctions (inhumane trapping/capturing and treatment whether legally or illegally obtained, and the associated use of animals for clothing and sport). Additionally, this paper presents the three structural harms that are problematic in regards to wildlife trafficking; the danger to the environment; the cruelty to animals; and the threat to national and human security through the connection to corruption, transnational crime, organized criminal networks, and terrorism. By exploring who is involved, how it occurs. and where it takes place for each of these trades, typologies are created that provide a basis for further examination of the trade in illegal wildlife. Solutions are offered to improve the policies and enforcement that affect the illegal wildlife trade, as are recommendations for addressing the economics of supply and consumer demand for illegal wildlife and wildlife products. The conclusions that· result from this thesis tempered the proposed deep green criminological perspective to a more pragmatic approach.

Canterbury, UK: University of Kent, 2008. 203p.

By Rodriguez, M., M. Pascual, J. Wingard, N. Bhatri, A. Rydannykh, A. Russo, J. Janicki

Sharing up to 98% of human DNA, great apes are our closest relatives on earth. Human activities, however, pose serious challenges to their survival and threaten them with extinction. Expansion of the agricultural frontier into tropical forests, and poaching, driven by lucrative illegal markets for pets and bush meat, are the main forces cited for their population declines.1 Meanwhile, in some parts of the world, people are eager to have baby chimps at home; others attend great ape ‘boxing matches’; while others are looking for that ‘Instagram-able’ moment with a captive great ape. Regardless of the kinds of demand for great apes, we are losing thousands to illegal trade in these species every year. The exact number is unknown due to the illegal nature of the trade, but the UN Environment Programme estimates that no fewer than 3,000 great apes are taken from the wild each year. 2 Because of these high losses and continuing population declines, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists great apes and gibbons as either endangered or critically endangered on its Red List of Threatened Species. These categories denote species that are “very likely” to become extinct in the wild or face an “extreme high risk” of extinction, respectively. There are seven species of great apes (excluding humans), divided into four genera – gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees and bonobos. They inhabit areas of central Africa and South East Asia, and tend to live in humid mountainous areas and forests. Gibbons, part of the family of lesser apes, comprise 16 species, all of which are native to the tropical and subtropical forests of South East Asia.

Missoula, MT: Legal Atlas, 2018. 191p.

By Melissa Arias

In recent years, the illegal trade in jaguars has become a growing concern for the conservation of the species, following academic, media and NGO reports suggesting the emergence of international trafficking to China, and the existence of thriving domestic markets for jaguar body parts across the range. Jaguar hunting, and the use and trade in their body parts have a long history in Latin America, tied to the traditional practices and belief systems of past and current indigenous and mixed-ethnicity societies. Through most of the 19th and 20th centuries, jaguars were hunted at commercial scales for their skins, to supply the fashion industry in Europe and North America. The listing of jaguars under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1975, which prohibits international commercial trade, along with the establishment of national hunting laws,successfully put an end to commercial-scale international trade in jaguars. Since then, illegal trade became a minor concern amidst a larger set of threats facing the species, including habitat loss, fragmentation and increased conflict with humans over real or perceived livestock depredation. After nearly five decades since their listing under CITES, recent findings suggesting that the demand for jaguar body parts is expanding to other continents, particularly Asia, have raised concerns about the potential impacts of illegal trade on the survival of the species. These concerns have translated into conservation actions at the national and international level, including CITES Decisions 18.251 to18.253 on Jaguars (Panthera onca), adopted at the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES held in Geneva, Switzerland in August 2019. In accordance with Decision 18.251, the CITES Secretariat commissioned this study to: i) map illegal trade in the jaguar throughout its range, including poaching, trade pathways and networks, and main markets that are driving this trade, and how it is connected to other wildlife trafficking activities in the region; ii) analyse the uses of jaguar specimens, both within range states and in international markets, as well as the extent to which illegally-sourced jaguar products are entering international trade; iii) analyse the modus operandi associated with illegal trade in jaguar specimens and possible drivers of this activity; and iv) characterize the overall impact of illegal trade on jaguar populations throughout the species’ range. Jaguars have a wide distribution, from the South-western United States to northern Argentina, covering 8.42 million km² across 19 countries (de la Torre et al., 2017). Despite being a highly charismatic species, their population status is poorly understood and their abundance estimates vary greatly. Jaguars are classified as Near Threatened under the IUCN Red List. However, most jaguar subpopulations with the exception of the Amazon subpopulation (including parts of the Pantanal, Yungas and Chaco biomes), have been assessed as Endangered or Critically Endangered due to their small size, isolation and deficient protection (de la Torre et al., 2017). The threats to jaguars are increasing, with deforestation growing inside and outside protected areas, driven by the expansion of agriculture, cattle ranching, and human infrastructure. These threats have synergistic impacts on jaguars by increasing access of poachers into remote areas, reducing prey abundances, and increasing the risk of human-jaguar conflict. Targeted poaching of jaguars for the illegal commercial trade adds to the pressures that jaguars are already facing, and may affect the survival of sub-populations that are at critical risk of extinction. Understanding the scale, characteristics and impacts of this growing threat to jaguars is essential to design and implement Decision 18.252, in particular paragraphs c) to g) as well as other effective jaguar conservation actions.

Geneva, SWIT: Convention On International Trade In Endangered Species Of Wild Fauna And Flora (CITES) , 2021. 141p.