Is social media the new wet market? Social media platforms facilitate the online sale of bushmeat in West Africa
Social media provides a platform for wildlife crime syndicates to access a global consumer-driven market. Whilst studies have uncovered the online trade in wildlife, the availability of wild meat (bushmeat) has not been assessed. To investigate the sale of wild meat online, we analysed 563 posts pub...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-06-01
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| Series: | One Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235277142300023X |
| _version_ | 1797805817112559616 |
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| author | Georgia Kate Moloney Koffi Jules Gossé Sery Gonedelé-Bi Philippe Gaubert Anne-Lise Chaber |
| author_facet | Georgia Kate Moloney Koffi Jules Gossé Sery Gonedelé-Bi Philippe Gaubert Anne-Lise Chaber |
| author_sort | Georgia Kate Moloney |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Social media provides a platform for wildlife crime syndicates to access a global consumer-driven market. Whilst studies have uncovered the online trade in wildlife, the availability of wild meat (bushmeat) has not been assessed. To investigate the sale of wild meat online, we analysed 563 posts published between 2018 and 2022 from six West African Facebook pages selected using predetermined search criteria. Across 1511 images and 18 videos, we visually identified 25 bushmeat species-level taxa including mammals (six Rodentia, five Artiodactyla, three Carnivora, two Pholidota, one Primate, two Lagomorpha, one Hyracoidea), birds (three Galliformes) and reptiles (two Squamata), predominately advertised as smoked (63%) or fresh (30%) whole carcasses or portions. Among the species identified, 16% feature a status of concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List (Near Threatened to Endangered), 16% are listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES; Appendix I and II) and 24% are either fully or partially protected by local legislation. Images were commonly used as propaganda rather than to display inventory, where additional taxa protected from game hunting in West Africa, such as hornbill, were exclusively listed in captions. The advertisement of these protected and vulnerable species on the surface web indicates weak local and international legislative enforcement. Comparatively, when the same search criteria were applied to the deep web browser Tor no results were generated, reinforcing the idea that bushmeat vendors have no need to hide their activities online. Despite local and international trade restrictions, the taxa advertised feature similarities with bushmeat seizures reported in Europe, alluding to the interconnectedness of the trade facilitated by social media. We conclude that enhanced policy enforcement is essential to combat the online sale of bushmeat and mitigate the potential biodiversity and public health impacts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T05:57:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4b8954b117cb4fc0bd0940e7a584ffe7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2352-7714 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T05:57:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | One Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-4b8954b117cb4fc0bd0940e7a584ffe72023-06-13T04:12:19ZengElsevierOne Health2352-77142023-06-0116100503Is social media the new wet market? Social media platforms facilitate the online sale of bushmeat in West AfricaGeorgia Kate Moloney0Koffi Jules Gossé1Sery Gonedelé-Bi2Philippe Gaubert3Anne-Lise Chaber4School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, SA 5371, Australia; Corresponding author at: The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Adelaide, SA 5371, Australia.Laboratoire de Biotechnolyogie, Agriculture et Valorisation des Ressources Biologiques, UFR Biosciences, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny d'Abidjan-Cocody, 22 BP 582, Abidjan 22, Cote d’IvoireLaboratoire de Biotechnolyogie, Agriculture et Valorisation des Ressources Biologiques, UFR Biosciences, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny d'Abidjan-Cocody, 22 BP 582, Abidjan 22, Cote d’IvoireLaboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB), IRD/CNRS/UPS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier – Bâtiment 4R1, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France; Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR), Universidade do Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208 Porto, PortugalSchool of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, SA 5371, Australia; Global One Health Alliance Pty Ltd, West Lakes Shore, SA 5021, AustraliaSocial media provides a platform for wildlife crime syndicates to access a global consumer-driven market. Whilst studies have uncovered the online trade in wildlife, the availability of wild meat (bushmeat) has not been assessed. To investigate the sale of wild meat online, we analysed 563 posts published between 2018 and 2022 from six West African Facebook pages selected using predetermined search criteria. Across 1511 images and 18 videos, we visually identified 25 bushmeat species-level taxa including mammals (six Rodentia, five Artiodactyla, three Carnivora, two Pholidota, one Primate, two Lagomorpha, one Hyracoidea), birds (three Galliformes) and reptiles (two Squamata), predominately advertised as smoked (63%) or fresh (30%) whole carcasses or portions. Among the species identified, 16% feature a status of concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List (Near Threatened to Endangered), 16% are listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES; Appendix I and II) and 24% are either fully or partially protected by local legislation. Images were commonly used as propaganda rather than to display inventory, where additional taxa protected from game hunting in West Africa, such as hornbill, were exclusively listed in captions. The advertisement of these protected and vulnerable species on the surface web indicates weak local and international legislative enforcement. Comparatively, when the same search criteria were applied to the deep web browser Tor no results were generated, reinforcing the idea that bushmeat vendors have no need to hide their activities online. Despite local and international trade restrictions, the taxa advertised feature similarities with bushmeat seizures reported in Europe, alluding to the interconnectedness of the trade facilitated by social media. We conclude that enhanced policy enforcement is essential to combat the online sale of bushmeat and mitigate the potential biodiversity and public health impacts.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235277142300023XBiosecurityConservationFacebookIllegal wildlife tradeInternetWild meat |
| spellingShingle | Georgia Kate Moloney Koffi Jules Gossé Sery Gonedelé-Bi Philippe Gaubert Anne-Lise Chaber Is social media the new wet market? Social media platforms facilitate the online sale of bushmeat in West Africa One Health Biosecurity Conservation Illegal wildlife trade Internet Wild meat |
| title | Is social media the new wet market? Social media platforms facilitate the online sale of bushmeat in West Africa |
| title_full | Is social media the new wet market? Social media platforms facilitate the online sale of bushmeat in West Africa |
| title_fullStr | Is social media the new wet market? Social media platforms facilitate the online sale of bushmeat in West Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is social media the new wet market? Social media platforms facilitate the online sale of bushmeat in West Africa |
| title_short | Is social media the new wet market? Social media platforms facilitate the online sale of bushmeat in West Africa |
| title_sort | is social media the new wet market social media platforms facilitate the online sale of bushmeat in west africa |
| topic | Biosecurity Conservation Illegal wildlife trade Internet Wild meat |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235277142300023X |
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