An overview of seizures of CITES-listed Wildlife in the EU in 2020

This briefing is based on all seizures reported by EU Member States which have taken place both at EU external borders (airports, maritime ports, land boundaries, and postal centres) and inside the EU (i.e. not at the external borders). The quantitative analysis of these seizures (‘Reported Seizures involving the EU’ and ‘Brief Comparison to 2019’) and examples of seizures (‘Details of Key Seizures Reported by EU Member States in 2020’) are based on seizure records submitted in the 2020 Annual Illegal Trade Reports (including information on prosecutions) submitted to the EU-TWIX database by EU Member States.

In 2020, 24 of the 27 EU Member States provided data on seizures that occurred in 2020. 

EU Member States reported a total of 3977 seizures in 2020 with Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Spain accounting for 79% of 2020 seizures.

Top Commodity Groups in 2020

The top commodity groups seized in the EU in 2020 were, in order of the number of reported seizure records, plant-derived medicinals; reptile bodies, parts and derivatives; live reptiles; live birds, and bird bodies, parts and derivatives. Thailand and the United States of America were the main countries of export to the EU in 2020. An increasing proportion of shipments were transported through the postal system, with 29% of total seizures occurring at mail centres in 2020, and 21% at airports.

It is important to note that any change in the number of seizures reported over the years and any patterns in illegal wildlife trade observed from the seizure data may be due to varying levels of enforcement efforts, which could differ over time by the various EU Member States. These do not necessarily indicate shifts in demand or changes in illegal wildlife trade dynamics.

Impact of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic also likely had an impact on the number of personnel able to carry out enforcement actions. COVID-19 related staff sickness or self-isolation resulted in a reduced workforce and therefore reduced capacity to detect and report illegal wildlife trade, coupled with limits on physical inspections due to public health measures imposed to contain the spread of the virus, contributed to the reduced number of seizures. Less trade triggered by COVID-19 associated disruptions to air transport, closures of shops, and other modes of transporting or selling goods is also likely to be a contributing factor to this decline, both in terms of fewer tourist seizures and impacting wildlife trafficking dynamics, in some cases affecting the scale of the operation of trafficking networks due to fewer opportunities for illegal trade. Conclusions should be drawn with this in mind.