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Margulies JD, Trost B, Hamon L, Kerr NZ, Kunz M, Randall JL, Shew RD, Shew DM, Starke L, Suiter D, West Z. Expert assessment of illegal collecting impacts on Venus flytraps and priorities for research on illegal trade. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024; 38:e14320. [PMID: 39248748 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/10/2024]
Abstract
Illegal collecting of wild Venus flytraps (Dionaea muscipula) for the horticultural trade represents a persistent threat to populations of the species across their endemic range in the coastal plain of North and South Carolina (United States). Although wild collecting of Venus flytraps is not a novel threat, there has been very little research on the impacts of collecting on the species' conservation to date or why an illegal trade persists alongside a legal one. We drew on qualitative expert stakeholder elicitation to contextualize the threat of illegal collecting to the long-term conservation of Venus flytraps in relation to other anthropogenic threats. Expert elicitation included botanical and conservation researchers, cognizant state and federal agency staff, land managers, and conservation nonprofit actors. The workshop included mapping of supply chain structures and prioritization of social and environmental harms. Expert consensus determined illegal collecting is an ongoing problem for Venus flytrap conservation, but habitat destruction, degradation, and fire suppression are the most significant threats to flytrap conservation. Supply chain analysis showed that observable social and environmental harms of the trade are focused at the supply stage and that less is known about transit and demand stages. Key research gaps identified include a lack of understanding of plant laundering practices relevant to a range of desirable plant taxa; the role of commercial nurseries in illicit horticultural supply chains; motivations for engaging in Venus flytrap collecting; and the persistent demand for illegally harvested plants when cultivated, legally obtainable plants are readily available. Our findings and methodology are relevant to a range of ornamental plants affected by illegal trade for which robust social data on illegal collecting drivers are lacking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared D Margulies
- Department of Geography and the Environment, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
| | - Benjamin Trost
- Department of Geography and the Environment, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
| | - Laura Hamon
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Natalie Z Kerr
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Michael Kunz
- North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - John L Randall
- North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Roger D Shew
- Departments of Earth and Ocean Sciences and Environmental Sciences, UNC Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
| | - Dale M Shew
- Biological Consultant, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
| | - Lesley Starke
- Plant Conservation Program, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Natural Heritage, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Dale Suiter
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Zachary West
- North Carolina Chapter, The Nature Conservancy, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
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Zhu AL, Zhu G. Financial speculation meets cultural heritage in China's wildlife markets. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024; 38:e14339. [PMID: 39248763 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2024]
Abstract
Environmental regulations restricting the use of a natural resource or species often have unintended consequences. One example is prohibitions on the international trade in culturally important endangered wildlife. Trade restrictions may artificially increase scarcity and, consequently, value. In China, international trade restrictions may trigger bouts of speculative investment that have the opposite effect of the restrictions' intent. We examined how China's speculative economy and cultural history have together led to unintended consequences when regulating wildlife trade. In China, wildlife markets occupy a legal gray area that can make regulations ineffectual or even counterproductive. In extreme cases, prohibiting trade can provoke market booms. Further unintended consequences include potential cultural backlash. In China and across the Global South, international trade restrictions are sometimes considered a continuation of a longstanding history of Western intervention and thus may not be enforced as strongly or may generate resentment. This pushback has contributed to rising calls to decolonialize conservation and may lead to growing alliances between China and other Global South countries when negotiating international wildlife trade restrictions in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annah Lake Zhu
- Environmental Policy Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - George Zhu
- Double Bind Media, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Margulies JD, Moorman FR, Goettsch B, Axmacher JC, Hinsley A. Prevalence and perspectives of illegal trade in cacti and succulent plants in the collector community. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2023; 37:e14030. [PMID: 36317724 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Although illegal wildlife trade (IWT) represents a serious threat to biodiversity, research into the prevalence of illegal plant collection and trade remains scarce. Because cacti and succulents are heavily threatened by overcollection for often illegal, international ornamental trade, we surveyed 441 members of the cacti and succulent hobbyist collector community with a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach. We sought to understand collector perspectives on the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) and on the threats IWT poses to cactus and succulent conservation. Most respondents (74% of 401 respondents) stated that illegal collection in cacti and succulents represents a "very serious problem" and that the problem of wild plant collection is increasing (72% of 319 respondents). Most forms of illegal collection and trade were seen as very unacceptable by respondents. Self-reported noncompliance with CITES rules was uncommon (11.2% of 418 respondents); it remains a persistent problem in parts of the cacti and succulent hobbyist community. People engaging in rule breaking, such as transporting plants without required CITES documents, generally did so knowingly. Although 60.6% of 381 respondents regarded CITES as a very important tool for conservation, sentiment toward CITES and its efficacy in helping species conservation was mixed. Collectors in our survey saw themselves as potentially playing important roles in cactus and succulent conservation, but this potential resource remains largely untapped. Our results suggest the need for enhanced consultation with stakeholders in CITES decision-making. For challenging subjects like IWT, developing evidence-based responses demands deep interdisciplinary engagement, including assessing the conservation impact of species listings on CITES appendices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared D Margulies
- Department of Geography, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
- IUCN SSC Cactus and Succulent Plants Specialist Group, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Bárbara Goettsch
- IUCN SSC Cactus and Succulent Plants Specialist Group, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jan C Axmacher
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK
| | - Amy Hinsley
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney, UK
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Bullough LA, Nguyễn N, Drury R, Hinsley A. Orchid Obscurity: Understanding Domestic Trade in Wild-Harvested Orchids in Viet Nam. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.631795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade is a well-known conservation issue, but there are still large gaps in our understanding of how trade chains operate for the majority of over-exploited wildlife products. In particular, the large-scale global plant trade is under-reported and under-researched, and this is even more pronounced when the trade takes place within a country’s borders. A clear example is the trade in orchids, all species of which are listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Although countries such as Viet Nam are known hotspots for the large-scale collection of wild orchids for the international horticultural trade, little is known about how plants move from the wild to the end-consumer, what role is played by domestic markets and the sustainability of this trade. We use a mixed-methods approach to determine the structure of trade chains for orchids in key trading areas of Northern Viet Nam, and use a thematic framework to identify five groups of actors trading wild-harvested orchids. Trade occurs both domestically and internationally, underpinned by demand for rare, wild plants. An important first step to address the illegal and unsustainable plant trade is to recognise it as a major and growing conservation issue, and develop diverse approaches that consider the complexity of the supply chains involved. It is imperative that the scale and process of domestic trade is understood, and its impact on long term conservation of these species assessed to make more informed decisions about effective interventions that take into account the full supply chain.
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Yates D, Mackenzie S, Smith E. The cultural capitalists: Notes on the ongoing reconfiguration of trafficking culture in Asia. CRIME, MEDIA, CULTURE 2017; 13:245-254. [PMID: 29278251 PMCID: PMC5732599 DOI: 10.1177/1741659017700947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Most analysis of the international flows of the illicit art market has described a global situation in which a postcolonial legacy of acquisition and collection exploits cultural heritage by pulling it westwards towards major international trade nodes in the USA and Europe. As the locus of consumptive global economic power shifts, however, these traditional flows are pulled in other directions: notably for the present commentary, towards and within Asia.
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