Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Conservation Biology
Volume
38
Issue
5
PubMed ID
39248761
Publisher
Wiley
School
School of Business and Law
RAS ID
71874
Funders
Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science / Wildlife Conservation Research Unit / University of Oxford /Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group / Oxford Brookes University
Abstract
The surge in internet accessibility has transformed wildlife trade by facilitating the acquisition of wildlife through online platforms. This scenario presents unique ethical challenges for researchers, as traditional ethical frameworks for in-person research cannot be readily applied to the online realm. Currently, there is a lack of clearly defined guidelines for appropriate ethical procedures when conducting online wildlife trade (OWT) research. In response to this, we consulted the scientific literature on ethical considerations in online research and examined existing guidelines established by professional societies and ethical boards. Based on these documents, we present a set of recommendations that can inform the development of ethically responsible OWT research. Key ethical challenges in designing and executing OWT research include the violation of privacy rights, defining subjects and illegality, and the risk of misinterpretation or posing risks to participants when sharing data. Potential solutions include considering participants’ expectations of privacy, defining when participants are authors versus subjects, understanding the legal and cultural context, minimizing data collection, ensuring anonymization, and removing metadata. Best practices also involve being culturally sensitive when analyzing and reporting findings. Adhering to these guidelines can help mitigate potential pitfalls and provides valuable insights to editors, researchers, and ethical review boards, enabling them to conduct scientifically rigorous and ethically responsible OWT research to advance this growing field.
DOI
10.1111/cobi.14341
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Morcatty, T. Q., Su, S., Siriwat, P., Andersson, A. A., Atoussi, S., Feddema, K., ... & Roberts, D. L. (2024). Navigating ethical challenges in online wildlife trade research. Conservation Biology, 38(5), e14341. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14341