The international trade in amphibians and reptiles represents a significant threat to global biodiversity. To assess trade dynamics, we analysed records from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) database, focusing on exports of live individuals listed under Appendix II (2000‒2023 periods). Time-series analyses were conducted using the Mann–Kendall tests and segmented regression models to evaluate the direction, strength, and change points (ψ-year) of trade trends for each source category and for the five families with the highest transaction volumes. The trade was dominated by a few families: in amphibians, Dendrobatidae, Mantellidae, Hylidae, Ambystomatidae, and Microhylidae; in reptiles, Testudinidae, Iguanidae, Pythonidae, Chamaeleonidae, and Varanidae. Time-series analyses revealed strong positive trends in captive-origin trade for both groups, persisting until 2021, when a sharp decline began. For amphibians, wild-origin trade exhibited a significant long-term decrease, whereas ranched sources showed no significant trend. In reptiles, ranched trade exhibited a weak negative trend (decline starting ~ 2007), and wild-origin trade showed a significant decline after 2020, despite an earlier rise around 2016. Overall, the results highlight a progressive shift from wild harvest to captive production across CITES-listed reptiles and amphibians, followed by a synchronized downturn in trade volumes after 2020‒2021. This suggests changing market dynamics and recent global disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of commercialization bans by certain countries.
Türkozan et al. (Sun,) studied this question.
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