My publications and reports, each linked with accompanying PDFs, preprints, and/or news pieces. See my CV for full list of publications and see here for my Research Themes.
Written by Oliver C. Stringham
A 2016 U.S. rule restricted trade in 20 salamander genera to prevent introduction of the fungal pathogen Bsal. Analyzing import data from 1999–2021, we found the rule reduced trade in the targeted taxa, but many other amphibian genera and species now known to carry Bsal continue to be imported in large quantities, leaving a persistent disease introduction risk.
We searched roughly 2 million dark web advertisements over five years using ~7,000 wildlife trade-related search terms, finding 153 species traded across 3,332 advertisements. The large majority of these listings were for species used as recreational drugs (e.g. psychedelic mushrooms), rather than for the live pet or wildlife-product trade typically associated with the dark web.
CITES regulates trade in a subset of at-risk species, but most wildlife imported into the U.S. isn’t covered by the treaty at all. We compared U.S. imports of CITES-listed and non-CITES-listed live wildlife and found non-listed imports involve 3.6 times more species and 11 times the trade quantity, exposing a major gap in international trade monitoring.
Understanding what drives the pet trade can help anticipate conservation, biosecurity, and welfare risks. We used South Australia’s native wildlife permit reporting system as a data-rich example of a live vertebrate pet market. We used piecewise structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the influence of 11 a priori variables relating to pets (e.g., species traits), pet owners (e.g., socioeconomic metrics), and regulatory systems (e.g., permit requirements) on the quantities of bird and reptile captive keeping, breeding, trading, and escapes into the wild. We found that species traits are a strong determinant of pet trade dynamics, yet permit systems also play a key role in de-incentivising undesirable trade practices. While our research highlights the potential of trade regulatory systems, we recommend that consistent permit category criteria are established to reduce trade in threatened species, as well as alien species of high biosecurity risk.
We independently verify that the 13 proposed genera by the Department should be listed to Appendix III of CITES. Further, we recommend the Department consider an additional 21 genera, that face identical threats to the proposed genera, for Appendix III.