Philippine Journal of Science
152 (6A): 2111-2128, December 2023
ISSN 0031 – 7683
Date Received: 12 Apr 2023
Online Trade of Live Freshwater
Turtles and Tortoises in the Philippines
Emerson Y. Sy* and Antonio N. Lorenzo II
TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Regional Office, Wisma Amfirst Tower 1, Suite 12A–1,
Jalan Stadium SS7/15, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
*Corresponding author: emerson.sy@gmail.com
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Sy E, Lorenzo A. 2023 Online Trade of Live Freshwater Turtles and
Tortoises in the Philippines. Philipp J Sci 152(6A): 2111–2128.
https://doi.org/10.56899/152.6A.07
ABSTRACT
Freshwater turtles and tortoises are highly threatened by illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade. The trade has been thriving online, particularly on social media platforms, in recent decades. We conducted a two-year online survey on 20 Facebook groups in 2019–2020 and reviewed CITES trade data from 1990–2019 (30 yr) to elucidate chelonian trade dynamics in the Philippines. A total of 5,801 individuals representing 77 taxa were documented for sale on Facebook in 2019–2020. The 10 most commonly traded species represented 79% of the total quantity, and Centrochelys sulcata (n = 1,211) was the most offered for sale. The analysis of 307 CITES trade records showed that the Philippines imported between 3,365 (importer-reported) and 4,279 (exporter-reported) live chelonians of 39 species from 21 countries and territories during the 30-yr period. There were 23 CITES Appendix-listed species, including six species listed on Appendix I, documented for sale on Facebook but without import records from the CITES Trade Database such as Astrochelys radiata (n = 47), Astrochelys yniphora (n = 2), Geochelone platynota (n = 30), Geoclemys hamiltonii (n = 30), Pangshura tecta (n = 42), and Pyxis arachnoides (n = 3). Whereas the origins of these species were uncertain (e.g. pre-CITES convention; smuggled), some individuals may be poached from the wild, recently smuggled, and illegally offered in the country. Our results show that the wildlife trade continues to thrive on Facebook. Greater cooperation among conservation groups, wildlife authorities, and social media platforms and appropriate actions are urgently needed to curtail illegal online wildlife trade proliferation.