Inform, regulate, empower: An empirical and legal analysis of the online trade of protected species in Switzerland

Informer, encadrer, responsabiliser: analyse empirique et juridique du commerce en ligne suisse d'espèces protégées

Cristina Cretu-Adatte (), Estelle Bulliard (), Renaud Zbinden (), Luca Brunoni () and Olivier Beaudet-Labrecque ()
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Cristina Cretu-Adatte: Institut de lutte contre la criminalité économique, HEG Arc, HES-SO // Haute école de Suisse occidentale
Renaud Zbinden: Institut de lutte contre la criminalité économique, HEG Arc, HES-SO // Haute école de Suisse occidentale
Luca Brunoni: Institut de lutte contre la criminalité économique, HEG Arc, HES-SO // Haute école de Suisse occidentale
Olivier Beaudet-Labrecque: Institut de lutte contre la criminalité économique, HEG Arc, HES-SO // Haute école de Suisse occidentale

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Abstract: This communication describes the online trade in protected species in Switzerland based on two empirical studies drawing on digital trace data collected from peer-to-peer online marketplaces. The first study analyses 543 advertisements relating to commonly traded reptiles, while the second, conducted more than two years after the entry into force of new legal provisions, focuses on 56 advertisements concerning rarer species of reptiles and amphibians. None of the advertisements fully complies with the four legal requirements governing online trade, namely the provision of contact details, the scientific name of the species, the origin of the specimen, and the applicable CITES appendix. The analysis of content moderation mechanisms and regulatory frameworks shows that compliance largely relies on users and on ex post enforcement mechanisms. These findings highlight the limitations of the current legal framework and underscore the importance of an integrated approach combining awareness-raising, platform accountability, and cooperation among stakeholders to improve regulatory effectiveness and reduce the illegal trade in protected species.

Date: 2026-05-20
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05789322v1
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Published in AIM 2026 : 31e conférence de l'Association Information et Management, Haute École spécialisée de Suisse occidentale = HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland = Fachhochschule Westschweiz [Schweiz] [HES-SO], May 2026, Neuchâtel, Suisse

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