Lama, S., Sherpa, A., Shrestha, J., Sherpa, P., Lama, S., & Bista, D.
Cambridge University Press.
1 March 2021
In Indonesia the heavily ingrained and widespread tradition of keeping caged birds, the majority of which are wild-caught, has pushed many species to the brink of extinction. Despite a brief halt of the illegal bird trade during COVID-19 restrictions, overall the trade has not declined, with the Indonesia Ministry of Cooperation and Small & Medium Enterprises reporting a turnover of IDR 1.7 trillion (c. USD 120 million) in 2022. Alongside offline trade, we have observed that the use of social media and e-commerce sites for illegal bird trade increased during the pandemic.