Challenges in Evaluating the Impact of the Trade in Amphibians and Reptiles on Wild Populations

• Published in: Bioscience Vol. 55; no. 3; pp. 256 - 264
• Main Authors: SCHLAEPFER, MARTIN A, HOOVER, CRAIG, DODD, C. KENNETH
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Circulation, AIBS, 1313 Dolley Madison Blvd., Suite 402, McLean, VA 22101. USA American Institute of Biological Sciences 01.03.2005; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Amphibians; Animals; Biological taxonomies; DEPARTMENTS; Harvest; Impact analysis; International trade; Management Information Systems; Reptiles; Reptiles & amphibians; Shipments; Species; sustainability; Sustainable development; Trade; Turtles; Wild animals; Zoology; harvest; trade; sustainability; reptiles; amphibians
• DOI: 10.1641/0006-3568(2005)055[0256:CIETIO]2.0.CO;2
• ISSN: 0006-3568

Amphibians and reptiles are taken from the wild and sold commercially as food, pets, and traditional medicines. The overcollecting of some species highlights the need to assess the trade and ensure that it is not contributing to declines in wild populations. Unlike most countries, the United States tracks the imports and exports of all amphibians and reptiles. Records from 1998 to 2002 reveal a US trade of several million wild-caught amphibians and reptiles each year, although many shipments are not recorded at the species level. The magnitude and content of the global commercial trade carries even greater unknowns. The absence of accurate trade and biological information for most species makes it difficult to establish whether current take levels are sustainable. The void of information also implies that population declines due to overcollecting could be going undetected. Policy changes to acquire baseline biological information and ensure a sustainable trade are urgently needed.