Characterising wild meat consumers in Vietnam
In early 2019, Alegria Olmedo travelled to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to conduct research on the consumption of meat from wild animals in local restaurants. She shortlisted a few restaurants where this consumption took place and had the opportunity to visit some of them. In this post she describes one such visit. Alegria Olmedo and colleagues’ research ‘Who eats wild meat? Profiling consumers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam‘ and plain language summary ‘Audience segmentation of wild meat consumers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam‘ are available online now.
Olmedo, A. Characterising wild meat consumers in Vietnam. Relational Thinking, People and Nature, 21 April 2021, https://relationalthinkingblog.com/2021/04/21/characterising-wild-meat-consumers-in-vietnam. Publications, Research.
Published: Apr 2021 | Categories: Opinions

What are the origins of novel human infectious diseases like COVID-19?
Several of the earliest reported cases of COVID-19 were linked to a wet market in Wuhan city, China, which sold a range of fresh food produce, including wildlife. Although there is not enough evidence yet to say how the new coronavirus jumped from its original host (probably a bat) to humans, there have been previous examples of viruses originating in wild animals causing disease epidemics in people. Understanding the link between wild and domestic animals and COVID-19 is important for managing the current pandemic and future outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Milner-Gulland E.J., Coad L., Li Y., Malsch K., Khanyari M., Booth H. What are the origins of novel human infectious diseases like COVID-19? UKRI, 5 May 2020, https://coronavirusexplained.ukri.org/en/article/und0007.
Published: May 2020 | Categories: Opinions

Coronavirus: why a blanket ban on wildlife trade would not be the right response
The early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic have been linked to a “wet” market in Wuhan, in the Hubei province of eastern China. Wet markets are common in Asia, Africa and elsewhere, selling fresh fruit and vegetables, poultry, fresh meat and live animals, including wildlife. Reports initially indicated that the coronavirus which causes COVID-19 may have been transmitted to people from wildlife at this wet market because of unsanitary conditions.
Challender D., Hinsley A., Veríssimo D., Michael ‘t Sas-Rolfes M. Coronavirus: why a blanket ban on wildlife trade would not be the right response. The Conversation, 8 April 2020, https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-why-a-blanket-ban-on-wildlife-trade-would-not-be-the-right-response-135746. Environment+Energy.
Published: Apr 2020 | Categories: Opinions

Reforms needed to the establishment of CITES trade bans
The international legal wildlife trade involves thousands of species of plants, animals and fungi. Ensuring that this trade remains sustainable is the role of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and it does so through the listing of species in one of its three Appendices, with corresponding trade controls. At the next CITES Conference of Parties, CoP18, there are 17 proposals to list species in Appendix I. The overwhelming assumption from many is that prohibiting commercial international trade will surely benefit the species in question. There is little evidence that international trade bans are effective. Even where bans have been established historically, and have been considered by some to be effective (as in the case of rhinoceroses), they have proven ineffective over time.
via the Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science
Published: May 2019 | Categories: Opinions

UK government supports global action to fight illegal wildlife trade
The UK is encouraging a global shift in our approach to demand reduction interventions to ensure that they are properly evidenced, impacts are measured and evaluated, and results and best practice are shared. The UK is also keen to see an increase in interventions that have a strong basis in behaviour change science. That is why the UK established a consortium of demand reduction and behaviour change specialists to develop recommendations on approach and scope of future illegal wildlife trade demand reduction initiatives.The consortium currently consists of Oxford Martin School, TRAFFIC, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), United for Wildlife (The Royal Foundation), UN Environment Programme and USAID.
via Gov.uk News Story
Published: Apr 2019 | Categories: Opinions

Illegal wildlife trade endangers plants — but few are listening
Government officials from around the world will meet in London this week to develop action plans to combat the illegal trade of pangolin scales, elephant ivory, and rhino horn, but some of the world’s most heavily trafficked wildlife – plants - won’t be discussed. This is despite calls from across the conservation field, including IUCN, to give plants a voice.
via IUCN News
Published: Nov 2018 | Categories: Opinions

Current media coverage of the illegal jaguar trade should concern conservationists
According to a recent report by two Bolivian researchers, between 2014 and 2016, 344 jaguar fangs destined for China were seized by the Bolivian Forestry and Environment Police. Additional evidence of jaguar trade in Latin America comes from a WWF study in Surinam, where eight people were found to be in possession of jaguar fangs or meat, and two people admitted to being regular suppliers of jaguar products. As part of my PhD research at the University of Oxford, I have studied this emerging threat to jaguars by analysing published sources and conducting informal interviews with experts who are based in the countries where these reports have originated. From my research, I have learned that information on this recent wave of jaguar trade remains elusive and filled with uncertainty.
via Oxford Martin School
Published: Mar 2018 | Categories: Opinions

The illegal orchid trade and its implications for conservation
When most people think of illegal wildlife trade, the first images that spring to mind are likely to be African elephants killed for their ivory, rhino horns being smuggled for medicine, or huge seizures of pangolins. But there is another huge global wildlife trade that is often overlooked, despite it involving thousands of species that are often traded illegally and unsustainably. Orchids are perhaps best known for the over one billion mass-market pot plants traded internationally each year, but there is also a large-scale commercial trade of wild orchids for food, medicine and as ornamental plants. This is despite the fact that all species of orchids are listed by the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), which regulates and monitors the commercial trade of wild plants and animals that may be threatened by exploitation.
via Oxford Martin School Can also be found at https://blog.oup.com/2018/03/illegal-orchid-trade-implications-conservation/
Published: Mar 2018 | Categories: Opinions

The illegal orchid trade and its implications for conservation
When most people think of illegal wildlife trade, the first images that spring to mind are likely to be African elephants killed for their ivory, rhino horns being smuggled for medicine, or huge seizures of pangolins. But there is another huge global wildlife trade that is often overlooked, despite it involving thousands of species that are often traded illegally and unsustainably. Orchids are perhaps best known for the over one billion mass-market pot plants traded internationally each year, but there is also a large-scale commercial trade of wild orchids for food, medicine and as ornamental plants. Conservation community should focus on conducting further research on trade dynamics and the impacts of collection for trade; strengthening the legal trade of orchids whilst developing and adopting measures to reduce illegal trade; and raising the profile of orchid trade among policy makers, conservationists and the public.
via Oxford University Press blog
Published: Mar 2018 | Categories: Opinions

The illegal wildlife trade: Oxford Martin’s approach to a better understanding
Aimed to inject some objective evidence into the international groundswell against the illegal wildlife trade, Nafeesa Esmail provides an account on the Oxford Martin Programme on the Illegal Wildlife Trade. Specifically, how the programme has been set up, its ambitious and a brief report with the main emerging themes from our recent annual symposium, held in September 2017.
Published: Jan 2018 | Categories: Opinions

Wildlife Trade Symposium 2017: Biodiversity and Security
As part of the 2017 Wildlife Trade Symposium, held from 25-27 September at the University of Oxford, the BIOSEC project team from The University of Sheffield, facilitated a knowledge exchange workshop on Biodiversity and Security. Here, Rosaleen Duffy, Hannah Dickinson and Laure Joanny review the discussions and outcomes of their session.
Published: Dec 2017 | Categories: Opinions

Elephant conservation debates must become more constructive
The conservation of wildlife is complex and often contested. This is particularly the case when the species concerned is large, charismatic, with monetary value, and whose presence in an area can cause major direct impacts on people's lives. Such is the case for Africa's elephants, but it is true for other species as well, including big cats, large ungulates (hoofed mammals) and wolves. Conflicts over how to manage these species are widespread and challenging to resolve.
via www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/opinion
Published: Dec 2017 | Categories: Opinions

Makers of wildlife hunting laws should consult local people
Michael ‘t Sas-Rolfes explains why regulating wildlife hunting with legal interventions is both complicated and dynamic. Hunting is a hot topic right now, with opinions sharply divided over whether the Trump administration’s recent proposals to roll back some restrictions on trophy imports from certain countries in Africa would be a good or bad thing for wildlife conservation. To make sense of these debates, careful analysis of the impact of different types of hunting in Africa is much needed.
via AFRICA SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION NEWS
Published: Nov 2017 | Categories: Opinions

Hidden in plain sight: the online face of the illegal wildlife trade
Having attended the International Conference on Environmental Crime, University of Cardiff, and the Oxford Martin Symposium on the Illegal Wildlife Trade, Laure Joanny summarises the key debates from panellists Anita Lavorgna, Joss Wright and David Roberts, all of whom carry out research into the illicit online trade in wildlife.
via https://biosecproject.org
Published: Oct 2017 | Categories: Opinions

Wildlife product stockpiles: friend or foe to endangered species?
Amidst the current fervour for combatting illegal wildlife trade, the use of certain policy measures may be confounded by the continued existence of residual legal activities that potentially complicate both enforcement and efforts to change consumer behaviour. For this reason, many activists prefer an uncompromising approach: total prohibition of all forms of legal supply, consumptive use and trade of endangered species products, supported by simple demand reduction messaging to consumers of the ‘just say no’ variety. However, this extreme approach may be neither realistically achievable nor even desirable.
via www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/opinion
Published: May 2017 | Categories: Opinions

A roaring trade?
Lion bones have now joined elephant ivory and rhino horn as contentious commodities in the wildlife trade policy arena. This follows revelations of a growing export market of bones from deceased captive-bred lions from South Africa to Southeast Asia – and sharply divided opinions over how policy-makers should respond to this. Michael t' Sas-Rolfes talks about the major issues surrounding this contentious topic.
via https://www.iccs.org.uk
Published: Feb 2017 | Categories: Opinions