CITES and the Zoonotic Disease Content in International Wildlife Trade
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CITES and the Zoonotic Disease Content in International Wildlife Trade Stefan Borsky1 · Hannah Hennighausen1 · Andrea Leiter2 · Keith Williges1 Accepted: 8 July 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract International trade in wildlife is one contributing factor to zoonotic disease risk. Using descriptive statistics, this paper shows that in the last decades, the volume and pattern of internationally traded wildlife has changed considerably and, with it, the zoonotic patho‑ gens that are traded. In an econometric analysis, we give evidence that an international environmental trade agreement could be used to limit the spread of zoonotic pathogens and disease. More specifically, combining zoonotic disease data with wildlife trade data from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife and Fauna (CITES), we show that making trade requirements more stringent leads to a decrease in the number of animals traded and, incidentally, also the number of zoonotic diseases that are traded. Our results contribute to the discussion of policy measures that manage the spread of zoonotic diseases. Keywords Zoonotic diseases · International wildlife trade · CITES · Gravity model JEL Classification F18 · F53 · Q27 · Q54
1 Introduction Infectious diseases have a substantial negative impact on global health and economies (Morens et al. 2004). They account for over 7 million annual deaths worldwide and cause economic losses through mortality, treatment costs and lost productivity (Fonkwo 2008; WHO 2018b).
We are thankful for comments from Priscilla A. Furth and Richard Pirker. The authors acknowledge the financial support by the University of Graz. * Stefan Borsky stefan.borsky@uni‑graz.at 1
Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change, University of Graz, Brandhofgasse 5, AT‑8010 Graz, Austria
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Faculty of Economics and Statistics, University of Innsbruck, Universitaetsstrasse 15, AT‑6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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Zoonotic diseases, defined as diseases that naturally transmit from animals to humans, are a major contributing factor to human infectious disease risk (Cleaveland et al. 2007). Seventy-five percent of all new, emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, of which the majority have their origins in wildlife (Jones et al. 2008). Recent pandemics of wildlifeorigin infectious diseases, like HIV, SARS, and COVID-19, suggest that further research about activities that bring animals and humans in close contact is needed (Wolfe et al. 2007). The U.S. National Academy of Medicine defines international trade and commerce as one of the six contributing factors to emerging infectious disease risk (Nature 2011). Trade requires close contact between humans, animals and animal products during the extrac‑ tion and exchange process, elevating the risk of a zoonotic pathogen crossing species lines (Smith et al. 2012). Moreover, once a pathogen has crossed the species line, domestic and international travel networks increase the risk of the infection spreading to susceptible p
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