The illegal trade network of pangolin meat in Chinese mainland and its implications for the implementation of key interventions

doi:10.17520/biods.2023079

Abstract

Abstract:

Background & Aim: China is one of the main consumption areas of pangolin (Manis spp.) meat and scales. In order to promote the conservation of this taxonomic group, differentiated and precise protection measures based on the illegal trade and consumption characteristics of various pangolin products are essential. However, there is a lack of research on the illegal trade and consumption characteristics of pangolin meat or scales separately.

Methods: This study uses the key word “pangolin” to compile the illegal trade cases of pangolin meat reported on the China Judgements Online and network media before January 11, 2022. We then use these reports to assess the characteristics of the region, trade network and trade methods.

Results: We found that pangolin meat trade and consumption mainly occured in southern China. This meat was mainly imported from Southeast Asia, though a small amount may come from seized area in China. The primary land access points for illegal pangolin meat trade into Chinese mainland are Fangchenggang, Baoshan and Dehong, while ports and small wharves in Guangdong and Fujian are the main sea access areas. Fangchenggang, Guangzhou, and Kunming are the key cities in the illegal pangolin trade network in Chinese mainland. The validity of these results may be affected by the incomplete inclusion of corresponding cases on the judicial documents website before 2013 and biases present the older reported cases on the internet.

Suggestions: Based on the results presented here, we suggest enhancing the inspection of border ports in Guangxi and Yunnan and wharves in Guangdong and Fujian, China. Measures such as improving the outbound vehicle inspection rate in Fangchenggang, Guangzhou, Baoshan, and Dehong and adopting differentiated public education on pangolin protection in Southern and Northern China. While it is important to continue to call on Southeast Asian countries to strengthen wildlife protection legislation, law enforcement and public education measures are considered effective additional means of curbing the illegal trade and consumption of pangolin meat in China.

Key words: illegal trade, pangolin meat, smuggling, animal protection, Chinese mainland

Fuhua Zhang, Fei Xi, Xinrui Tang, Peng Cen, Shibao Wu. The illegal trade network of pangolin meat in Chinese mainland and its implications for the implementation of key interventions[J]. Biodiv Sci, 2023, 31(10): 23079.

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URL: https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/10.17520/biods.2023079

https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/Y2023/V31/I10/23079

Figures/Tables 7

Fig. 1 Illegal trade of pangolin meat in different regions of Chinese mainland

Fig. 2 The annual number of seized pangolin individuals and cases and their changing trends from 2001 to 2019

Fig. 3 A circular map of the illegal trade in pangolin meat between different regions seized in China from 2001 to 2021. (a) The number of seized incidences in pangolin meat between regions; (b) Number of seized individuals in pangolin meat between regions; (c) Number of individuals illegally traded into different cities of Chinese mainland from different countries; (d) Number of individuals in illegal trade between different provinces in China and between different provinces in China and other countries. The gap between the connection band and the edge colored ring bar represents the import, the edge colored ring bar and the same color connection band indicates the exit, and the colored ring bar filling the gap between the two represents the destination of the goods export. The width of the connection band indicates the number of seized incidences (a) or individuals (b, c and d). The numbers in the figure represent the cities as follow: 1. Abroad; 2. Chongqing; 3. Liupanshui, Mianyang, Chengdu, Panzhihua; 4. Xishuangbanna; 5. Baoshan; 6. Chuxiong; 7. Dehong; 8. Kunming; 9. Pu’er; 10. Qujing; 11. Wenshan; 12. Lijiang, Nujiang, Dali, Honghe, Lincang; 13. Beihai; 14. Chongzuo; 15. Fangchenggang; 16. Unknown cities in Guangxi, Wuzhou, Hezhou, Baise; 17. Guilin; 18. Liuzhou; 19. Nanning; 20. Qinzhou; 21. Yulin; 22. Ganzhou; 23. Yingtan, Nanchang, Fuzhou (Jiangxi), Shangrao, Ji’an, Jiujiang; 24. Hainan; 25. Jingzhou, Enshi; 26. Unknown cities in Fujian, Putian, Nanping; 27. Fuzhou (Fujian); 28. Longyan; 29. Ningde; 30. Quanzhou; 31. Sanming; 32. Xiamen; 33, Zhangzhou; 34. Beijing; 35. Unknown cities in Shandong, Xi’an, Jilin, Shijiazhuang, Qingdao; 36. Zhengzhou; 37. Changzhou; 38. Suzhou, Taizhou (Jiangsu); 39. Nanjing; 40. Wuxi; 41. Shanghai; 42. Fuyang, Xuancheng, Wuhu; 43. Changsha; 44. Chenzhou; 45. Hengyang; 46. Huaihua; 47. Unknown cities in Hunan, Xiangxi, Yongzhou; 48. Yiyang; 49. Zhuzhou; 50. Dongguan; 51. Foshan; 52. Guangzhou; 53. Unknown cities in Guangdong, Chaozhou, Shantou, Shanwei; 54. Heyuan; 55. Huizhou; 56. Jiangmen; 57. Jieyang; 58. Maoming; 59. Meizhou; 60. Qingyuan; 61. Shaoguan; 62. Shenzhen; 63. Yangjiang; 64. Yunfu; 65. Zhanjiang; 66. Zhaoqing; 67. Zhongshan; 68. Zhuhai; 69. Hangzhou; 70. Jiaxing; 71. Jinhua; 72. Lishui; 73. Ningbo; 74. Quzhou; 75. Shaoxing; 76. Taizhou (Zhejiang); 77. Wenzhou; 78. Indonesia; 79. Laos; 80. Malaysia; 81. Myanmar; 82. Abroad unknown; 83. Vietnam; 84. Honghe; 85. Lincang; 86. Nujiang ; 87. Baise; 88. Sichuan; 89. Jilin; 90. Shandong; 91. Hebei; 92. Shaanxi; 93. Henan; 94. Guizhou; 95. Zhejiang; 96. Yunnan; 97. Guangxi; 98. Jiangxi; 99. Hubei; 100. Fujian; 101. Jiangsu; 102. Anhui; 103. Hunan; 104. Guangdong.

Table 1 Betweenness centrality of the number of seized individuals and incidences in the illegal trade of pangolin meat in different cities

序号 No.	总贸易量中介值 Betw. (ind.)	贸易个体来源 Borgatti’s source betw. (ind.)	贸易个体去向 Borgatti’s destination betw. (ind.)	总案件量中介值 Betw. (inc)	贸易案件来源 Borgatti’s source betw. (inc.)	贸易案件去向 Borgatti’s destination betw. (inc.)
1	广州 Guangzhou	广州 Guangzhou	广州 Guangzhou	广州 Guangzhou	广州 Guangzhou	广州 Guangzhou
2	防城港 Fangchenggang	防城港 Fangchenggang	防城港 Fangchenggang	衢州 Quzhou	防城港 Fangchenggang	佛山 Foshan
3	金华 Jinhua	衢州 Quzhou	金华 Jinhua	昆明 Kunming	衢州 Quzhou	昆明 Kunming
4	昆明 Kunming	北海 Beihai	昆明 Kunming	上海 Shanghai	上海 Shanghai	深圳 Shenzhen
5	衢州 Quzhou	昆明 Kunming	深圳 Shenzhen	佛山 Foshan	长沙 Changsha	衢州 Quzhou

Table 2 Degree centrality of the number of seized individuals and incidences in the illegal trade of pangolin meat in different cities

序号 No.	总贸易量 Degree value (ind.)	输入数量 Indegree value (ind.)	输出数量 Outdegree value (ind.)	总案件数量 Degree value (inc.)	输入案件量 Indegree value (inc.)	输出案件量 Outdegree value (inc.)
1	防城港 Fangchenggang	江门 Jiangmen	防城港 Fangchenggang	广州 Guangzhou	广州 Guangzhou	防城港 Fangchenggang
2	北海 Beihai	防城港 Fangchenggang	北海 Beihai	防城港 Fangchenggang	佛山 Foshan	广州 Guangzhou
3	江门 Jiangmen	北海 Beihai	广州 Guangzhou	德宏 Dehong	防城港 Fangchenggang	德宏 Dehong
4	广州 Guangzhou	厦门 Xiamen	台州 Taizhou	昆明 Kunming	保山 Baoshan	长沙 Changsha
5	厦门 Xiamen	惠州 Huizhou	中山 Zhongshan	佛山 Foshan	衡阳 Hengyang	昆明 Kunming

Table 3 Removal or isolation of the destruction of the illegal trade network of pangolin meat by a group of nodes composed of 1 to 10 cities

分组 No.	关键节点 Key players	破碎化指数 Fragmentation index
1	中国上海 China’s Shanghai	0.394
2	中国福州、上海 China’s Fuzhou, Shanghai	0.46
3	中国长沙、广州、昆明 China’s Changsha, Guangzhou, Kunming	0.511
4	中国防城港、广州、深圳、广西未知城市 China’s Fangchenggang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, unknown cities in Guangxi	0.546
5	中国防城港、广州、深圳、广西未知城市; 越南 China’s Fangchenggang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, unknown cities in Guangxi; Vietnam	0.583
6	中国防城港、福州、广州、上海、广西未知城市; 越南 China’s Fangchenggang, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shanghai, unknown cities in Guangxi; Vietnam	0.771
7	中国长沙、防城港、广州、昆明、衢州、深圳、广西未知城市 China’s Changsha, Fangchenggang, Guangzhou, Kunming, Quzhou, Shenzhen, unknown cities in Guangxi	0.886
8	中国长沙、防城港、福州、广州、上海、昆明、广西未知城市; 越南 China’s Changsha, Fangchenggang, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Kunming, unknown cities in Guangxi; Vietnam	0.923
9	中国长沙、防城港、广州、昆明、上海、深圳、广西未知城市; 越南; 马来西亚 China’s Changsha, Fangchenggang, Guangzhou, Kunming, Shanghai, Shenzhen, unknown cities in Guangxi; Vietnam; Malaysia	0.943
10	中国长沙、防城港、广州、昆明、上海、深圳、广西未知城市; 越南; 马来西亚; 缅甸 China’s Changsha, Fangchenggang, Guangzhou, Kunming, Shanghai, Shenzhen, unknown cities in Guangxi; Vietnam; Malaysia; Myanmar	0.953

Fig. 4 Different ways of transportation used in the illegal trade of pangolin meat. (a) Frequency of different modes of transportation; (b) The total volume of transportation and; (c) Volume of single transportation mode (mean ± SD). In Fig. (c), there are no significant differences between those labeled with the same letter and those with different letters represent a significant difference.

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