Global Wildlife Trade Involves Over 107,000 Species, Study Reveals

The global wildlife trade involves at least 107,356 species of animals, plants and fungi—more than twice the number previously estimated—revealing the extraordinary scale of a multibillion-dollar industry that remains inadequately monitored by international conservation systems.

Published in Science Advances, the study brings together data from global, regional and national monitoring programmes to map the breadth of modern wildlife trade across multiple sectors. The findings challenge conventional estimates of the trade’s reach and warn that the number of species involved is likely to be substantially higher because of persistent gaps in reporting and data collection.

The previous benchmark, associated with assessments by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), placed the number of traded species at approximately 50,000. The new assessment more than doubles that figure, demonstrating how existing approaches have underestimated the scale and complexity of the trade.

Trade extends far beyond illegal wildlife trafficking

The study estimates that the trade encompasses as many as 47,685 animal species, equivalent to approximately 42% of all described vertebrate species on Earth. Plants and fungi also account for a substantial part of the trade, underscoring the need to move beyond a narrow focus on high-profile animal trafficking.

Wildlife trade is deeply embedded in the global economy. It supplies timber and seafood markets, fashion and medicinal products, cut flowers, ornamental fish and exotic pets. These commodities connect consumers and businesses to ecosystems across the world, often through complex supply chains that span several countries.

A critical distinction emerging from the research is the scale of legal versus illegal trade. Although illegal trafficking of ivory, pangolins and other threatened wildlife attracts considerable attention, most wildlife trade takes place through legal commercial channels. The legal market is estimated to be worth around ten times as much as the illegal trade.

This distinction has significant implications for conservation policy. Tackling organised smuggling remains essential, but enforcement alone cannot address the ecological consequences of extensive commercial extraction. Even legally traded species can face population declines when harvesting exceeds their capacity to recover, particularly where trade is poorly regulated or population data are unavailable.

Online markets are expanding the trade’s reach

The rapid growth of online commerce has further complicated efforts to track wildlife trade. E-commerce platforms and social media have created new avenues for buying and selling species, including rare reptiles, ornamental animals and other organisms sought by collectors.

Transactions that once depended on specialised dealers or physical markets can increasingly take place through digital networks, connecting sellers and buyers across national borders. Species or biological materials can be advertised and purchased with little public visibility into their origins or the sustainability of their collection.

The expansion of online exotic pet markets illustrates how technological change can outpace regulatory systems. Small or unusual organisms may be traded alongside more familiar consumer products, while the movement of eggs, live animals and other biological material can make detection and identification difficult.

The study’s findings suggest that wildlife monitoring must adapt to these changing commercial patterns. Without stronger oversight of digital marketplaces and better coordination between enforcement agencies, a growing share of trade may remain difficult to assess.

Global conservation systems monitor only a fraction of traded species

Despite the scale of the trade, international monitoring and conservation frameworks cover only a small proportion of the species involved. The study highlights a major blind spot: existing systems actively monitor or protect only an estimated 2–3% of traded species, leaving the overwhelming majority outside comparable scrutiny.

The resulting data gaps make it difficult to determine whether trade is sustainable, whether populations are declining and which species or source regions face the greatest pressure.

For most traded species, information on the volume of trade, geographical origin and baseline population size is either incomplete or entirely unavailable. Without these fundamentals, scientists and regulators cannot reliably establish how much extraction an individual species can withstand.

The problem extends beyond identifying threatened species. A species may remain widespread in global assessments while particular populations are depleted by local harvesting. In the absence of reliable data, these declines can go undetected until recovery becomes difficult or costly.

The findings therefore expose a structural weakness in global biodiversity governance: trade can expand across international markets faster than the systems intended to measure its consequences.

Transparency remains a major obstacle

The availability of reliable and comparable trade data varies considerably between countries. The study identifies the United States as a notable example of systematic reporting through its Law Enforcement Management Information System (LEMIS), which records wildlife imports and exports across multiple taxonomic groups.

Comparable open-access datasets are not consistently available for other major trading regions, including Europe. This makes it difficult to construct a complete picture of international trade flows, compare the scale of different markets or trace the origins and destinations of traded species.

Fragmented reporting also limits the ability of researchers to distinguish between legal and illegal transactions, identify emerging trade routes and assess whether existing regulations are working.

Greater transparency would enable conservation scientists, governments and enforcement agencies to identify high-risk species, trace supply chains and establish priorities for monitoring. It could also help businesses assess the sustainability of their sourcing and improve accountability across international markets.

A baseline, not a final count

Researchers caution that the estimate of 107,356 species should not be interpreted as a complete inventory of global wildlife trade. Instead, it represents a major advance in documenting a system whose true dimensions remain only partially visible.

The implications extend beyond individual species to the ecosystems and communities affected by commercial extraction. Unsustainable harvesting can undermine biodiversity, disrupt ecological relationships and threaten the livelihoods of people who depend on natural resources. At the same time, well-managed and sustainable trade can support livelihoods and provide incentives for conservation, making reliable evidence essential to distinguishing between the two.

The findings point to an urgent need for coordinated international monitoring, standardised reporting and stronger access to trade data. Conservation frameworks must also extend beyond a limited set of already-recognised threatened species to encompass the much wider range of organisms entering commercial markets.

The central warning is clear: the world cannot effectively regulate what it does not adequately measure. With more than 107,000 species already documented in trade—and the actual number likely higher—closing the monitoring gap is becoming an essential part of protecting global biodiversity.