Quantifying an online wildlife trade using a web crawler

Biodiversity and Conservation, vol. 31, pp. 855–869

Abstract

Abstract Legally protected plants are illegally traded through online sales platforms and orchids are a significant component of this wildlife trade. This study focused on salep, a compound product made from wild collected orchid tubers from several genera—including Anacamptis, Dactylorhiza, Himantoglossum, Ophrys, Orchis, Serapias—whose harvest endangers some of the species used, despite their collection and sale being restricted by national and international legislation. Using a custom designed web crawler in combination with DNA barcoding of a subset of products over 18 months 1942 items of salep were detected as sold at a total value of US$ 37,775, estimated to be equivalent to 90,000 to 180,000 wild orchids being destructively harvested. Wild harvested tubers traded at a value of $0.21 and equivalent cultivated orchids have a market price of $16–28; cultivation is currently no viable alternative to wild harvesting. Using a web crawler on open trade sites contributes to knowledge on illegal wildlife trade, which can be used to address illegal plant trade at the national and international level.

Authors 12

1. Susanne Masters corresponding Aachen Institute of Biology Leiden Naturalis Biodiversity Center

   Leiden University · Naturalis Biodiversity Center

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

   Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

   c/o Barbara Gravendeel, Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR, Leiden, The Netherlands

2. Bastien Anthoons

   Centre for Research and Technology Hellas

   Affiliation as printed

   Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece

3. Panagiotis B. Madesis

   University of Thessaly · Centre for Research and Technology Hellas

   Affiliation as printed

   Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece

   Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Plants, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Thessaly, 38221, Volos, Greece

4. Gopalakrishnan Saroja Seethapathy

   Morgan State University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Chemistry, School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, USA

5. Maarten Schermer Aachen Naturalis Biodiversity Center

   Naturalis Biodiversity Center

   Affiliation as printed

   Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

6. Wilfred Gerritsen Aachen Naturalis Biodiversity Center

   Naturalis Biodiversity Center

   Affiliation as printed

   Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

7. Arzu Karahan

   Middle East Technical University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Marine Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Erdemli, Mersin, Turkey

8. Rick Verdoes Aachen Faculty of Science and Technology

   University of Applied Sciences Leiden

   Affiliation as printed

   Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Applied Sciences, Leiden, The Netherlands

9. Rachel Schwallier

   Kalamazoo College

   Affiliation as printed

   Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI, USA

10. Tinde R van Andel Aachen Institute of Biology Leiden Naturalis Biodiversity Center

    Leiden University · Naturalis Biodiversity Center · Wageningen University & Research

    Affiliation as printed

    Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

11. Hugo de Boer Aachen Naturalis Biodiversity Center

    Naturalis Biodiversity Center · University of Oslo

    Affiliation as printed

    Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

12. Barbara Gravendeel Aachen Institute of Biology Leiden Naturalis Biodiversity Center

    Leiden University · Naturalis Biodiversity Center · Radboud University Nijmegen

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    RIBES, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands