Why does illegal wildlife trade persist in spite of legal alternatives in transboundary regions?

Both the characteristics of the value chains and the social-ecological context within which they exist are important to uncover motivations for engagement in legal and illegal value chains. Beche-de-mer (dried sea cucumbers), shark fins, and fish maw (dried swim bladders) are valued products in the South Fly region of Papua New Guinea (PNG). We applied value chain analysis (VCA) to map the 'vertical' characteristics of trade and 'horizontal' contextual issues driving the trade. Vertical VCA showed that both legal and illegal value chains end in the same Asian cities, but using different routes. Prices offered by illegal middlemen to PNG fishers were significantly lower than those offered by legal buyers. Horizontal analysis showed five drivers (lack of information, obligatory dependencies to middlemen, kinship ties, need for cash, inaccessibility of legal markets) for accepting lower prices. We recommend interventions necessary to tackle these systemic drivers of illegal trade.

Automated summary

It was found that both the characteristics of the value chains and the social-ecological context were important in determining motivations for engagement in legal and illegal value chains. In the South Fly region of Papua New Guinea, products like beche-de-mer, shark fins, and fish maw were valued. Value chain analysis revealed that illegal middlemen offered significantly lower prices to PNG fishers compared to legal buyers, with drivers for accepting lower prices including lack of information and reliance on middlemen.