New Report: Consumers of Illegal Wildlife Parts and Products in Myanmar

Myanmar boasts incredible biodiversity and is home to more than 233 globally threatened species.

Unfortunately, the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT), driven by international and domestic consumer demand for wild animals and their parts and products, is a key threat to the country’s wildlife. The scale of domestic consumer demand for wildlife products, systematically documenting perceptions and motivations for purchasing and consuming wildlife products among Myanmar nationals.

While previous studies have documented wildlife markets in Myanmar and looked at its role in the global IWT as a source and transit country, very little attention has been paid to the domestic consumption of wildlife. Understanding the drivers of the domestic trade is critical if WWF and other conservation organizations are to more effectively target demand reduction and behaviour change activities for consumers. 

This study, commissioned by WWF and carried out by Kantar, was conducted between May and August 2019 and surveyed 423 Myanmar nationals in locations known to host wildlife markets.  It aims to highlight the national context and consumer behaviour that is leading to a growing IWT threat and identify robust strategies to fight this illicit trade.