Illegal trade in wild vertebrates in Mexico over a period of twenty years

Abstract

Illegal wildlife trade can have negative effects on biodiversity on both local and global scales. This study aimed to analyze the law enforcement efforts by Mexican environmental authorities regarding wildlife trade in México between 2000 and 2020. The study shows that 473 different species were confiscated during that period. The most confiscated taxonomic group was birds (200 species, 42.28%), followed by reptiles (146 species, 30.86%), mammals (110 species, 23.25%) and amphibians (17 species, 3.59%), Iguana iguana, Ctenosaura pectinata, Gopherus agassizii, Trachemys scripta, Crocodylus moreletii, Eupsittula canicularis, Cardinalis cardinalis and Odocoileus virginianus the most frequently confiscated species. Of the total confiscated species, 358 were native species (52 species were endemic), and 115 were non-native species. As for the conservation status of confiscated species, 453 species (95.97%) were listed in the IUCN Red List; 189 species (40.02%) in the National Red List NOM-059-SEMARNAT 2010, and 187 species (39.61%) contemplated by the CITES Appendices. This study illustrates the great diverse of species that are illegally or irregularly traded in Mexico.