Wildlife crime in Hispanic America

Two orange-chinned parakeets being transported in a Styrofoam cooler were recovered by environmental authorities during an operation at a Bogotá bus terminal, April 2021. Photo: © Bogotá Ministry of Environment

Wildlife crime poses a real threat to biodiversity worldwide, including Hispanic America. To facilitate greater understanding of the situation, IFAW has released a new report, Wildlife Crime in Hispanic America: An analysis of seizures and poaching incidents in 18 countries (2017-2022). The report comes with an interactive dashboard enabling people to explore in greater detail the data from the time period. This provides a baseline on wildlife trafficking and poaching trends in 18 Spanish-speaking countries across Latin America.

The report provides an in-depth analysis of 1,945 wildlife trafficking and poaching incidents reported over a six-year period. It uncovers key trafficking hotspots, routes, methods, targeted species, and even US ports of entry tied to the region. Among numerous eye-opening findings, our research revealed that a staggering 92.5% of wildlife trafficking in the region involved live animals, with reptiles, birds, amphibians, and mammals all significantly impacted.

The dashboard brings this data to life by offering an intuitive, interactive platform where users can explore incident data and trends. Whether you are a policymaker, researcher, or advocate, this tool allows you to dive deeper into the numbers, identify patterns, and customise your insights according to region and taxa.

Download the full report Read the executive summary (EN)Read the executive summary (ES)

An analysis of seizures and poaching incidents in 18 countries (2017-2022).

Why both tools are essential

To fully understand the scope and implications of this research, we encourage you to engage with both the report and the dashboard. The report delivers comprehensive, contextual analysis and case studies for each country, supported by literature reviews and extensive resources. Meanwhile, the dashboard provides a dynamic way to interact with the raw data, making it easy to visualise trends and extract actionable insights. Together, they are designed to offer a complete picture of the wildlife trafficking landscape in the region.

How to use this page

Explore the dashboard: Click on the interactive dashboard on this page to explore data by country, species, or time period. For user guidelines, click here.
Read the report: Access the full report for detailed analyses, methodologies, and insights into the findings.
Executive summary: For a high-level overview, review the executive summary.

We invite you to explore, use, and share these tools to better understand and address the complex issue of wildlife trafficking.

Note: A Spanish translation of the full report will be available soon, ensuring broader accessibility across the region.