A recent study from the University of Sheffield shows that the wildlife trade causes 60 percent declines in species abundance, with an 80 percent decline in endangered species. These findings highlight the need for stricter regulation, including the implementation of more effective protective measures for traded species.
100 million plants and animals are trafficked internationally every year at an overall value estimated to be $4 – $20 billion annually. The scale of this trade highlights the need for more awareness of its impact on the environment and the strong incentives that exist for those that partake in it.
A group of researchers from the University of Sheffield, the University of Florida and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences have published findings that reveal a 62 percent decline in species abundance due to licit and illicit wildlife trading.
Scientists claim that this issue is under-researched despite being one of the principal causes of species decline. Lack of data on the trade of species in North America, Europe and Asia is highlighted, specifically on groups of cacti, amphibians, orchids and invertebrates. Policies designed to protect threatened species suffer as a consequence, according to the research:
“Without precise quantification of the effects of trade, policies managing trade fail to be evidence-based and thus cannot claim to safeguard species.”
Scientists identify that policy designed to mitigate damage to these species is inadequate:
“Current protective measures fail species, with significant declines even where the harvesting for trade occurs in protected areas.”
New international initiatives aimed at improving trade infrastructures, such as China’s ‘belt and road’ project, could make the issue worse:
“Scaling up trade networks without a robust understanding of current impacts could be disastrous to species conservation, accelerating population losses and species extinctions.”
All these issues accentuate the need for measures that can effectively protect species:
“Improved management, tackling both unsustainable demand and trade reporting, must be a conservation priority to prevent rampant trade-induced declines.”
As awareness of our calamitous effects on the environment becomes more pronounced, this research reminds us not to ignore the deleterious effects of the international wildlife trade. The longer these insufficient policies continue to enable unsustainable trade, the worse its impact will be on the environment.
