International wildlife trade data are frequently used by government agencies, conservation organizations, and scientific researchers to study and protect species from overexploitation and prevent the spread of invasive species and introduction of zoonotic pathogens. Inaccurate data can lead to mistaken conclusions by researchers, the development of unsuccessful remedial conservation actions, and provide government officials with incorrect views of detrimental trade. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) maintains the world's most comprehensive national dataset of legal and illegal international wildlife trade recorded by individual shipments and species in its Law Enforcement Management Information System (LEMIS). Although the importance of LEMIS data is not to be understated, the errors and inconsistencies contained therein have not previously been adequately recognized or studied. Based on firsthand experiences with the creation and application of LEMIS data, this manuscript describes a variety of errors, biases, omissions, and an overall lack of data quality assurance. An independent audit of the LEMIS wildlife trade database and the service's policies, procedures, and protocols for managing this system is needed. Additional recommendations are also offered to develop better management standards and bring greater resources for managing LEMIS, asking the nongovernmental organization and intergovernmental organization user communities to play a role.

中文翻译：

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美国野生动物贸易数据缺乏准确的科学解释和政策应用所需的质量控制

国际野生动物贸易数据经常被政府机构、保护组织和科学研究人员用来研究和保护物种免遭过度开发，并防止入侵物种的传播和人畜共患病原体的引入。不准确的数据可能导致研究人员得出错误的结论，制定不成功的补救性保护行动，并为政府官员提供对有害贸易的错误看法。美国鱼类和野生动物管理局 (USFWS) 在其执法管理信息系统 (LEMIS) 中维护着世界上最全面的合法和非法国际野生动物贸易国家数据集，按单个货物和物种记录。尽管 LEMIS 数据的重要性不容低估，但其中包含的错误和不一致之处此前尚未得到充分认识或研究。基于 LEMIS 数据创建和应用的第一手经验，本手稿描述了各种错误、偏见、遗漏以及数据质量保证的总体缺乏。需要对 LEMIS 野生动物贸易数据库以及管理该系统的服务政策、程序和协议进行独立审核。还提出了其他建议，以制定更好的管理标准，并为管理 LEMIS 提供更多资源，要求非政府组织和政府间组织用户社区发挥作用。