Estimating the impact of the illegal trade of primates in Mexico: a potential threat to wildlife

Abstract

Abstract The primates of Mexico, Ateles geoffroyi, Alouatta palliata, and Alouatta pigra, are seriously threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation, and illegal hunting and trade. Very little is known about the extent of illegal trade and its impacts on declining primate populations. Our study proposes a potential method based on estimating the number of individuals that die in the trade before being detected and those that probably cannot be detected. This facilitates estimating the number of animals extracted and allows an assessment of how trafficking impacts their populations. We derive estimates from seizure data of primates in Mexico between 2010 and 2019. To do this, we created wildlife detection rates and mortality rates from the existing literature (scientific articles, journalistic articles, and notes) to estimate the number of primates that die during capture, transport, and sale and the number of trafficked primates that were not detected by Mexican authorities. We estimate that 946 primates were removed from the wild for the pet trade each year (spider monkey Ateles geoffroyi = 854; black howler monkeys Alouatta pigra = 38, mantled howler monkey Alouatta palliata = 54). The annual reduction in population size caused by trafficking was greatest for Ateles geoffroyi (2.2%), followed by Alouatta pigra (1.3%), and Alouatta palliata (0.4%). Our estimates show the percentage of impacts that trafficking has on Mexican primate populations. Nevertheless, trade has the potential to impact declining populations and still must be addressed.