Codes of conduct
Species are moved from their native places to new areas through human activities, intentionally or unintentionally. The introduction of alien species in the wild has increased in the last 50 years at an alarming rate and is one the main drivers of global biodiversity loss.
The purchase of animals and plants through e-commerce, including exotic species, is growing and can be relatively easy. The difficulty in controlling electronic sales, added to the lack of knowledge about the characteristics and care of these species, causes the release of many exotic species in the wild. Even invasive alien species of Union concern, despite the prohibition on sale can be easily bought online.
The European project LIFE Invasaqua prepared a code of conduct aimed to alert on the risks connected to the online trade of invasive alien species. The code of conduct also provides recommendations to help reducing the risk of e-commerce as a pathway of introduction of invasive species.
The document targets professionals involved in the trade of plants and pets and the aquarium trade: importers, intermediaries (traders and distributors), shops, and consumers.
Download the code of conducts (ES, soon in PT)
For more information on codes of conducts and guidelines