Linking ILLegal WILDlife trade and biodiversity loss: new insights from digital media

Projektinformationen

ILLWILD

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 101022521

DOI

10.3030/101022521

Das Projekt endete am 27 August 2023

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 11 März 2021

Startdatum 1 Dezember 2021

Enddatum 30 November 2023

Finanziert unter

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Gesamtkosten

€ 202 680,96

EU-Beitrag

€ 202 680,96

Koordiniert durch

HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Finland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ILLWILD (Linking ILLegal WILDlife trade and biodiversity loss: new insights from digital media)

Berichtszeitraum: 2021-12-01 bis 2023-11-30

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

Every year, millions of animals and plants, and their associated products (hunting trophies, food, clothing, ornaments, pets, or traditional remedies) are illegally traded worldwide generating US $5-23 billion per year. Overharvesting of species for illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is linked to a decrease of species occurrence and density and, ultimately, can lead to population extirpation. IWT has far reaching consequences for ecosystems, affecting food webs, ecological processes and ecosystem services5,6; but also, for human health. IWT has been linked to recent outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as SARS and Covid-19, with dramatic health, social and economic implications. Over the last decade, IWT has surged and its nature has radically changed. The Internet has become one of the main markets for wildlife products, and digital media platforms, in particular E-commerce websites and social media sites, are the preferred outlets12,13. However, no systematic studies have characterized the magnitude and geographic range of IWT on digital media and the subsequent impacts on biodiversity conservation. Here, I will: (1) explore and quantify the global scale of IWT on digital media for endangered mammal and bird species; (2) identify geographic hotspots and explore the socio-economic drivers of IWT; and (3) identify top priority species for which the impact of individual offtake for IWT through digital media is higher in terms of population trends. This project will help governments and regulatory bodies direct their actions and resources towards the most vulnerable areas and species. This multidisciplinary, novel work will transform our understanding of IWT and its effects on the global ecosystem.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

The ILLWILD project aims to characterise the magnitude and geographic range of wildlife trade on digital media and the subsequent impacts on biodiversity conservation. The data collected from multiple digital platforms now allows to shed light into the main digital pathways of trade and the most affected species, which ultimate can help design appropriate conservation interventions. The ILLWILD project has generated a unique dataset of digital data on wildlife trade through three social media platforms, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr, and a search engine, Google for all bird and mammal species included in the Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Moreover, it has allowed to develop a series of pipelines and methods for data processing and filtering that can be applied to other species affected by trade. Automated data collection and filtering methods reveal the scale of trade through digital media, as well as the importance of manual validation to obtain an accurate picture of the process. The creation of the dataset of bird and mammal species included in the Appendix I of CITES showed the differences in trade levels among species, with parrot and cockatoos being specially affected by trade. The results of the project have been presented at the British Ecological Society Annual Meeting and at the European Ornithologists' Union Congress.

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

The work carried out in the ILLWILD project contributes to understand wildlife trade through digital and social media. This is especially relevant as wildlife trade is linked to a decrease of species occurrence and density and, ultimately, can lead to population extirpation. ILLWILD has created a unique dataset records of wildlife trade of birds and mammal species. Moreover, the pipelines and methodologies developed during the project have been made freely available through GitHub (https://gitlab.com/helics-lab/wt_philippines) which makes the research reproducible and will assist researchers and practitioners to expand the search to other species of conservation interest. The research team has already been contacted by international institutions showing interest in these approaches and methodologies.

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