Species in Trade

Wildlife trade is a key driver of species extinctions and biodiversity loss around the globe, with the demands of the East and Southeast Asian consumer markets pulling in species from all corners of the world to Asia. Wildlife consumption includes use for meat, traditional and folk medicine and for live animals for caged display (“pets”). A snaring crisis is currently defaunating vast swaths of forest in Viet Nam, Cambodia and Laos, putting terrestrial wild animals at risk of extinction while increasing the potential for diseases to spread between wild and domestic animals, and between animals and people.

In order to document the extent of this trade, we have added a Species in Trade observation field which we request iNaturalist users to use to tag observations when live or dead species are observed for sale in market locations or in other places.

Wild animals and plants observed in any part of the trade supply chain, from source to end consumers - snared, legally or illegally hunted, captured or collected, confiscated during transportation, border crossings, or storage, and retail trade locations (markets, pet shops, roadside stalls, restaurants, etc), are included in this "Species in Trade" project.

Photo Credit: Michèle Dépraz/WWF less ↑