International wildlife trade involves at least 70,000 species and probably more than 107,000, according to a study published in Science Advances. The estimate is more than double previous figures and covers species traded legally and illegally, either as whole organisms or as parts and products.
The research combined records from nearly ten databases, including information from the Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Tropical Timber Organization, TRAFFIC and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES lists 40,980 species, most of them plants, but focuses on species whose export may pose a threat.
A key source was the United States’ LEMIS system, which records wild animals and plants entering or leaving the country by species and genus. It contains records for 21,000 species. The researchers said their estimate is conservative because many regions do not collect standardized data. They also pointed to emerging markets, including Asia’s exotic-pet trade, as a reason the global total could be higher.
Plants make up the largest share of the trade. Orchids alone represent almost two-thirds of the traded plant species identified by the study, despite the existence of an agricultural industry that cultivates them. Among animals, small invertebrates are traded more widely than large mammals, including more than 4,000 butterfly species and nearly 2,000 arachnid species.
Birds are the most heavily traded vertebrates, with commercial activity involving 65% of known species. They are sold for meat, feathers, their ability to imitate human speech or their songs. Fish are the second-largest vertebrate group, with 5,454 species exploited commercially. The study cites the annual capture and sale of 37 million seahorses as an example; 95% come from countries where CITES has prohibited their trade.
The researchers did not separate legal trade from illegal trafficking when counting species. However, they noted that there is substantial evidence that illegal trade is unsustainable, meaning that animals are removed from populations faster than those populations can recover. They also highlighted the difficulty of determining when exploitation has reached a level that requires intervention under CITES.
A review published in 2023 linked international trade to the extinction of almost 300 species and to the near-extinction of a similar number. The study’s authors argue that better information is urgently needed on which species are traded, where they come from, how many specimens are involved and how they are obtained.
The researchers also stress that sustainable trade can be important for source communities. Román Carrasco of the Bioecon Lab at the National University of Singapore said legal trade should be monitored through population assessments and sales quotas, while efforts to combat illegal trafficking must continue because it often targets species already close to extinction.
Sources: El País Ciencia.