Slow Loris Trade in Vietnam: Exploring Diverse Knowledge and Values

Area of Science:

• Primate Conservation
• Wildlife Trade Dynamics
• Ethnographic Research

Background:

• Wildlife trade poses significant threats to primate populations globally.
• Slow lorises (genus Nycticebus) in Vietnam are exploited for medicinal, culinary, and pet trade purposes.
• Understanding human-primate interactions within sociocultural contexts is vital for conservation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore diverse knowledge and values surrounding slow loris trade in Vietnam.
• To identify market dynamics, including prices, uses, and trade networks.
• To inform conservation strategies by examining cultural perceptions and vernacular naming.

Main Methods:

• Combined ethnographic interviews with key informants.
• Utilized questionnaires and focus groups.
• Incorporated analysis of a Vietnamese television movie to gauge public perception.

Main Results:

• Inferred expanding regional and international markets alongside local opportunistic trade.
• Identified gendered knowledge concerning slow lorises.
• Documented diverse human-slow loris ontologies, viewing lorises as active participants.
• Highlighted issues with vernacular names potentially confusing ecological and medicinal uses.

Conclusions:

• Conservation efforts require clarification of vernacular names, favoring those reflecting ecological/behavioral traits.
• Ethnographic methods are essential for understanding complex trade dynamics.
• Place-based conservation strategies for primates and other traded taxa must integrate local knowledge and values.