Investigating Regional Trade Hotspots

Wildlife trade is not evenly distributed; certain regions serve as critical hubs for the capture, processing, and export of species. At Wildview Analytics, I identify and investigate these trade hotspots to better understand where interventions are most urgently needed.

My hotspot analysis combines spatial data (GIS), seizure reports, market surveys, and online trade monitoring to pinpoint regions where wildlife exploitation is particularly intense. Southeast Asia, for example, remains a global epicenter for the reptile trade, with countries like Indonesia and Vietnam playing central roles in supplying both legal and illegal markets.

I also examine emerging trade hubs, particularly those driven by online commerce or newly established trade routes. These insights help enforcement agencies and conservation organizations stay ahead of rapidly evolving trade dynamics.

By visualizing trade networks and regional pressure points, my analyses support targeted enforcement operations, improved policy frameworks, and community-level interventions. For endemic species or those under heavy exploitation, identifying the geographic concentration of trade activity can be the difference between implementing effective conservation measures and missing critical threats.

My expertise ensures that stakeholders can act with precision, using robust data to prioritize the regions and species most at risk.

Selected publications:

• Dominguez, I., Hindriks, M., Janssen, J., & van Uhm, D. (2024). Online Illegal Trade in Reptiles in the Netherlands. In Criminal Justice, Wildlife Conservation and Animal Rights in the Anthropocene (pp. 52-69). Bristol University Press.
• Janssen, J., & de Silva, A. (2019). The presence of protected reptiles from Sri Lanka in international commercial trade. Traffic Bulletin, 31(1), 9-15.
• Janssen, J., & Shepherd, C. R. (2019). Trade in endangered and critically endangered Japanese herpetofauna endemic to the Nansei Islands warrants increased protection. Current Herpetology, 38(1), 99-109.