ILLWILD · Linking ILLegal WILDlife trade and biodiversity loss: new insights from digital media
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2021-12-01 → 2023-11-30
- EU contribution
- €202,681
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Linking ILLegal WILDlife trade and biodiversity loss: new insights from digital media
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.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is increasing worldwide, with far reaching consequences for animal populations and ecosystems, as well as for human health and society. IWT is changing rapidly, and digital media has become one of its main channels. 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 decline. To do so, I will focus on the digital trade of bird and mammal species included in Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora); since international trade for those species is not permitted. I will use state-of-the-art machine-learning algorithms to detect and quantify illegal trade of those species on several digital media platforms. I will integrate this information with potential geographic and socio-economic drivers of illegal wildlife trade to establish appropriate conservation planning strategies. Finally, I will carry out population models to understand the contribution of IWT to mortality rates and population trends. The proposed study combines artificial intelligence, social sciences and conservation science, thus providing a novel, multidisciplinary approach to understand the extent and patterns of IWT through digital media platforms and inform decision-making to ultimately help halt biodiversity loss.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO · HelsinkiCoordinatorFinland
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union