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[INTERNATIONAL] · Australia, Armenia · 45 sources

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Wildlife trade involves over 107,000 species, doubling previous estimates

A study led by the University of Melbourne and published in Science Advances reveals that the global trade in wild animals, plants, and fungi involves at least 107,356 species. This figure is more than double the previous estimate of approximately 50,000 species provided by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

The research indicates that the majority of this trade is legal, with an annual value estimated between 220 and 300 billion US dollars. Illegal trade is estimated to be worth between 28.4 and 39.5 billion US dollars annually. The study highlights significant ecological impacts: traded populations are, on average, 50 to 60 percent smaller than non-traded populations. Furthermore, the trade has contributed to the extinction of 294 species, while 25 species now exist only in human care, and 192 species have seen regional population disappearances.

Researchers warn that significant data gaps exist, particularly regarding the online exotic pet trade and ornamental markets, which may mean the actual number of species involved is even higher. The findings come amid discussions at the COP17 biodiversity conference in Armenia, where nations adopted the Yerevan Pathway to accelerate nature protection by 2030, though funding gaps remain a primary concern.

Entities

Alice Hughes · CITES · IPBES · Science Advances · University of Melbourne

Claims

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Sources

Biodiversity - No2NuclearPower [www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk]
Biodiversity - electricity info [electricityinfo.org]