Trends and characteristics of imports of live CITES‐listed bird species into Japan

Abstract

Understanding the characteristics of the international bird trade is critical for preventing the traffic of endangered species. Japan is the second largest importer of birds for the pet industry globally, yet little research has examined its role in the international trade of live exotic birds. We used reports to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Trade Database to conduct the first quantitative analysis of the live commercial bird imports to Japan. We also investigated whether the volume of import is influenced by factors related to species availability. We analysed close to 2 million live bird imports by Japan from 1979 to 2015. The volume of imports peaked in 1999 and then declined until 2008, when imports increased again. Japan imported 603 bird species, mostly parrots (64%), owls (11%) and raptors (9%), from 92 different countries. Most imported birds were reported to be captive‐bred (70%), and key exporters were Belgium (23%), the Netherlands (15%) and Singapore (12%). The most frequently imported bird species had widespread distributions and were not of high conservation concern, so we concluded that bird imports were restricted by the availability of bird species to the international market. Research effort in countries that engage heavily in wildlife trade is necessary to understand the impacts of the trade on bird conservation, and to monitor captive bird populations outside their native ranges.