Rising Connectivity, Shifting Hubs: The Evolving Network and Governance Challenges of Global Wild‐Sourced Trade

ABSTRACT

Global wild‐sourced wildlife trade is structured not only by the intensity and composition of traded species, but also by the routes, hubs, and redistribution pathways that connect countries/territories into an intricate network. Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of trade networks over time is essential for identifying emerging governance challenges and conservation priorities. To quantify these evolving changes, we analyzed trade records reported to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) from 1991 to 2023, focusing on the network structures and socioeconomic interactions of both direct and re‐export wild‐sourced trade. Over the past three decades, trade intensity increased and became concentrated on Anthozoa, aligning with the dominance of commercial demand and live specimens. The direct trade remained anchored in persistent source‐to‐market pathways, with Indonesia and the United States dominating wild‐sourced export and import, respectively, while the redistribution flows were led by established European hubs such as Switzerland, Italy, and France, with rising intermediary roles in Asian economies. The expanding and intensive redistribution network was associated with higher population density, and stronger governance capacity linked with a more streamlined and concentrated direct trade network. The emergence and importance of structural bridging actors in direct trade and redistribution intermediaries in re‐export trade varied across regions, highlighting the need for adaptive governance measures that strengthen targeted monitoring of overlooked marine invertebrates, and tailor oversight to dynamic trade roles, including the growing prominence of Asian countries/territories in wild‐sourced redistribution.