Prof Henk Bouwman from the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management at North-West University (NWU) in South Africa.
They
might be small and largely inconspicuous, but ants are becoming big business
for a growing market of enthusiasts.
In
April, Kenyan authorities intercepted two Belgian teenagers, a Vietnamese
national, and a local accomplice as they attempted to smuggle 5,400 live
queen ants out of the country.
Their
illicit cargo, consisting mainly of the Messor cephalotes species, was
carefully packed into over 2,200 modified test tubes and syringes, all
designed to keep the ants alive during their journey to European terrariums.
The
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) estimated the collection’s local value at
approximately 1.2 million Kenyan shillings, though European collectors might
have paid as much as one million US dollars for the entire haul – a clear
indication that the ant trade is becoming a lucrative target for smugglers.
This
marks another troubling shift in the world of wildlife crime. According to
Prof Henk Bouwman from the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management at
North-West University (NWU) in South Africa, such trafficking poses a
significant threat to local ecosystems unprepared for the arrival of foreign
species.
“Smuggling
ants is a serious issue. Moving any animal to a region where it does not
naturally occur is risky. Ants are a fascinating group – there are between
12,000 and 15,000 known species, with estimates suggesting the real number
could be more than double that. They thrive in almost every habitat, from
deep underground to the top of rainforest canopies,” he explains.
“Rainforest
ants, for instance, have evolved such precise adaptations that if they fall
from a tree, they can steer themselves back to the trunk, avoiding a long and
potentially deadly descent. This level of specialisation makes them
incredibly successful in their native environments, but it can also make them
devastating invaders. When introduced to regions without natural predators or
competing species, they can wreak havoc on local ecosystems and even economies,”
Bouwman adds.
As
traditional smuggling targets like elephants and rhinos come under increased
protection, traffickers are turning their attention to smaller, less
conspicuous species. For conservationists, this is a stark reminder that
preserving Africa’s natural heritage must include not only its largest
residents but also its smallest.
Globally,
insect species
are declining. This is caused by an array of
threats such as
pollution,
pesticides,
climate change and
urbanisation.
Although the extent of
the harm being caused by trafficking is unknown, this adds further pressure
to species that already face extinction.
Protections
for insects vary.
The
conservation status of each ant species affects
their level of protection both nationally and internationally.
Ants
that are on the
red list – which is the largest classification
of endangered species produced by the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – and classed as
critically endangered or endangered cannot be
captured, killed or disturbed in any manner.
