Science Advances· 2026Q1
The true scale of global wildlife trade is obscured by data gaps
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
A review of wildlife trade monitoring programs identified 107,356 species in global use and trade, more than double the 50,000 estimated by IPBES, with up to 47,685 animal species (42% of described vertebrates) affected.
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Key points
- 107,356 species identified in global wildlife use and trade, more than double previous estimates.
- Up to 47,685 animal species are involved, representing 42% of all described vertebrate species.
- Most countries lack systematic trade data for non-CITES listed species.
- National monitoring efforts, like the US LEMIS, reveal higher species diversity in trade than global databases.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Overexploitation of wildlife is one of the greatest global drivers of biodiversity loss. Yet, despite this well-established risk, data on extraction and trade are both incomplete and highly fragmented. The IPBES Global analysis estimated 50,000 species to be in trade, yet our review of wildlife trade monitoring programs found at least double that, at 107,356 species in use and trade globally. This included up to 47,685 animal species, covering 42% of all described vertebrate species. Most countries lack any systematic data on trade for species not listed in Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), with the exception of the US-specific dataset Law Enforcement Management Information System, which frequently had higher diversity of species in trade than global databases. This highlights the importance of national monitoring efforts and the need for standardized collation of wildlife trade data beyond CITES-listed species. Without these changes, global indicators on trade meant to guide sustainability and conservation will continue to focus on less than 2% of traded species.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Science Advances, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Nature and Landscape ConservationEnvironmental Science