Review of related literature of illegal wildlife trade

Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is one of the significant causes of damage to biodiversity and the extinction of species globally. Southeast Asia has been the epicenter and hotspot for the illegal wildlife trade (Pires et. al., 2021). The Philippines is one of the most affected by the unsustainable wildlife trade due to many of its common and uncommon species (Heinrich et. al, 2021). Journals and publications between 2012- 2022 on the illegal wildlife trade were reviewed. These journals focus on consumer demand, driving factors of wildlife trade, most illegal wildlife traded species, and awareness of illegal wildlife trade. With the list of most traded species and their prices in literature, it appears that there is still a demand for these Philippine species with the increasing illegal wildlife trades. With the COVID 19 pandemic, people are confined at home which makes them increase their time accessing the internet and these social media sites. This increases the possibility of coming across illegal traders. Likewise, these illegal wildlife traders increase their possibility of selling these species online since social media sites or other websites can be easily accessed by just having a computer, mobile, or any gadget with access to the internet. However, a method of tackling the Illegal wildlife trade is awareness and education. Studies show that if the consumer is aware of where the species came from or if the species has been exploited, chances are they may decide not to buy these species or products containing these species. (Welton et. al, 2013)