Preliminary Trend Analysis of International Wildlife Trade in Ghana in Relation to Global Zoonotic Disease Outbreaks

We explore the relationship between global zoonotic disease incidents and international wildlife trade in Ghana and provide an in-depth analysis of taxon trade trends from 1975 to 2018 by combining zoonotic disease data (published sources) with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) database. Trends over this period show that reptiles (Pythonidae) were the most frequently traded, followed by birds (Psittacidae), mammals (Cercopithecidae) (classified under CITES Appendix 1), and amphibians (Dendrobatidae). Overall trade (export/import) did not differ significantly among the four periods: 1975-1985, 1986-1996, 1997-2007, and 2008-2018 (H = 4.99, p = 0.166). Most countries that export wildlife to Ghana are in Africa, and those countries that import wildlife from Ghana are in Europe and the USA. Trade of reptiles and birds, especially endangered pythons and Psittacus species, could lead to their extinction in the wild. Our study model reveals that the higher the incidence of zoonotic diseases, the higher the incidence of exports of reptiles (coeff. = 0.30, p < 0.001) and birds (coeff. = 0.49, p < 0.001) but the lower incidence of mammalian exports (coeff. = -0.45, p < 0.001), suggesting a relationship between the incidence of zoonotic diseases and a decrease in mammal specimen trade. Early detection of zoonotic diseases and the adoption of an expanded education module to avoid risks in bushmeat utilization will also help reduce wildlife trade.