Online trade of live freshwater turtles and tortoises in the Philippines

Emerson Y. Sy

Issue Date

12-2023

Abstract

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. We conducted a two-year online survey on 20 Facebook groups in 2019–2020 and reviewed CITES trade data from 1990–2019 (30 yr) to elucidate chelonian trade dynamics in the Philippines. A total of 5,801 individuals representing 77 taxa were documented for sale on Facebook in 2019–2020. 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. Our results show 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.

Source or Periodical Title

Philippine Journal of Science

ISSN

0031-7683

Volume

152

Issue

6A

Page

2111-2121

Document Type

Article

College

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

Frequency

bi-monthly

Physical Description

illustrations; map; charts; graphs; tables; references

Language

English

Subject

Astrochelys, CITES, Facebook, Geochelone, social media

En – AGROVOC descriptors

TURTLES; FRESHWATER TORTOISES; TESTUDINIDAE; CHELONIIDAE; CHELONIA (GENUS); TURTLE CULTURE; TAXA; TRADE IN SPECIES; CITES; ENDANGERED SPECIES; ENDEMIC SPECIES; THREATENED SPECIES; TRADE POLICIES; ANTHROPOGENIC FACTORS; WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT; NATURE CONSERVATION; ILLEGAL PRACTICES; SOCIAL MEDIA; TRADE STATISTICS; TRADE; INTERNATIONAL TRADE; IMPORTS; EXPORTS

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