At least one in five vertebrate species on Earth is bought and sold on the wildlife market, according to a new study, the trade for which is 40-60% higher than previously estimated.
About:
The UK/US team quantified for the first time the species most affected by the global wildlife trade based on a study of the tree of life.
They used data from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Flora and Fauna and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on about 30,000 bird, mammal, amphibian and reptile species. They did not look at invertebrates or marine animals.
Key findings:
According to their analysis, 5,579 animals - 18% of vertebrates - are currently being traded globally. An additional 3,196 species are considered at risk - making a total of 8,775 species, or about one in three.
The study also shows that traded animals are in higher categories of a threat compared with the non-traded species, confirming wildlife trade as a driver of extinction.
Globally, between $8 billion and $21 billion is reaped annually from illegal trade, making it one of the world’s largest illegitimate businesses.
The study, published in Science, identified hotspots for traded birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles in regions within the Andes mountain range and Amazon rainforest, sub-Saharan Africa, South East Asia and Australia.
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