A team of researchers involving the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC) and the Royal Botanical Garden (RJB-CSIC), both of the High Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), has selling birds through social networks. The study, published in the journal Ardeola, highlights that Facebook is the social network with the highest turnover rate and that some of the species traded do not adhere to species trade regulations poses a potential threat to the conservation of these animals and their environment.
“Online trade in species is becoming increasingly common, so it is necessary to pay attention to the type of animals sold, especially on social networks,” says Mario Díaz, researcher at the MNCN-CSIC. “In this study we focus on the case of birdswe wanted to analyze whether its sale is widespread in Spain and whether this is related to the popularity of each species,” adds researcher Nura Elkhouri-Vidarte from the RJB-CSIC.
The sale of birds via social networks is increasing enormously
Before, For a year, they analyzed publications related to bird sales advertisements on four social networks: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. “We found 11,332 in total to inform and we confirmed that 313 different species birdsnoting that the social network is most commonly used for this purpose Facebook. Furthermore, we confirm that the number of sales of each strain is directly related to the strain’s popularity bird. The most represented orders were the Psittaciformes, which includes parrots and cockatoos, and the Passeriformes, which includes birds such as sparrows, canaries and goldfinches. This may be due to the attractiveness of the color of the parrots and the song of the songbirds,” explains Díaz.
The results of this research are interesting to identify the possible dangers to nature that the commercialization of animals entails internet, as a percentage of observed species are protected, endangered or invasive. This potential failure to comply with animal trade legislation established by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) makes it necessary to monitor this commercialization to determine the necessary conservation measures.
Check certain ones regularly social networks It can provide valuable information on the demand and market for species of particular interest for nature conservation, allowing us to predict and reduce the negative impact of their sale, concludes Laura Martín Torrijos, researcher at the RJB-CSIC.