A recent study has revealed that the number of plant and animal species involved in global wildlife trade is more than double previous estimates, exposing significant gaps in current monitoring and regulation efforts. The research, published in Science Advances, highlights the rapid expansion and transformation of the wildlife trade, particularly driven by the rise of online markets.

The study identified 107,356 species used or sold worldwide, exceeding the earlier figure of approximately 50,000 species cited by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The authors incorporated more extensive datasets and recent investigations into species sold for decorative purposes via digital platforms, uncovering a broader scope of traded wildlife than previously recognized. For instance, the number of butterfly species found in trade alone surpasses the total number of all traded terrestrial invertebrates estimated by IPBES.

Alice Hughes, a professor at the University of Melbourne and lead author, emphasized that the nature of wildlife trade has evolved substantially, making current monitoring inadequate. She warned that underestimating the scale and diversity of species involved hinders effective management and heightens risks to biodiversity. Co-author Molly Brown, programme officer for wildlife use and trade at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), echoed these concerns, noting that the numbers presented remain conservative due to limited monitoring capabilities and insufficient data access.

Despite widespread attention to illegal wildlife trafficking, including activities such as ivory and pangolin smuggling, the wildlife trade encompasses much broader sectors. These include fisheries, timber, fashion, ornamental species, and exotic pets, with some activities potentially sustainable and others threatening extinction. Researchers pointed out that regulatory gaps enable the legal laundering of species, particularly sought-after exotic animals.

In 2019, nearly 200 countries committed to ensuring that wildlife trade is sustainable, safe, and legal as part of a global effort to halt biodiversity loss. However, progress toward these goals is hindered by the lack of comprehensive data on which species are traded and their origins. Currently, the primary metric for tracking wildlife trade sustainability focuses almost exclusively on fish stocks, which comprise only a fraction of traded species.

Hughes noted that fisheries are monitored globally by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), while the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulates over 40,000 at-risk species. However, many vulnerable species remain outside these frameworks, and the process to list new species can be slow, sometimes trailing behind their decline in the wild.

The study underscores the urgent need for more systematic data collection, improved international coordination, and faster responses to emerging threats within the wildlife trade. Without addressing these gaps, efforts to sustainably manage and conserve the planet’s biodiversity will face significant challenges.