Disentangling the role of social media in the online parrot trade in Algeria

Abstract

The increased use of social media and classified advertisement websites has made wildlife trade more accessible, and the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, during which people were advised or mandated to stay at home, may have exacerbated this trend. The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of wildlife trade in a data-deficient region, where social media platforms are popular ways of exchanging different goods and products. Focussing on Algeria, for one year (January to December 2020), we tracked the parrot trade in 12 Facebook groups specialising in the pet bird trade. There were 1143 advertisements offering a minimum of 7000 specimens across 29 parrot species. Six of these species were listed on CITES Appendix I, precluding all commercial international trade, while another 19 were listed on CITES Appendix II, regulating all international trade. Our findings indicate that notably, close to 1460 specimens of the African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus and P. timneh) have been traded during this period, underscoring the critical need for regulatory attention and conservation efforts.