With the overexploitation of animals and plants being a major threat to nature, and new international pledges to halt species extinctions and ensure the harvest, use and trade in wild species is sustainable as part of the UN-brokered deal for nature—the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework—now in place, the researchers set out to identify potential gaps in international trade protections for the world's biodiversity.
The study was conducted by a team of ecologists and wildlife trade experts at the University of Oxford, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the UN Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP-WCMC) and ZSL. The research was published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, and it cross-references wildlife trade information with data on species under threat.
International wildlife trade protections are set by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as part of which signatory countries—termed "Parties to the Convention"—periodically decide on trade controls for thousands of animal and plant species. About 40,000 species are currently included in the CITES Appendices. However, in the absence of a robust, repeatable methodology to inform the listing process, there is the potential that species threatened by international trade could be missing out on much-needed global protections.
The researchers used the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species—the most authoritative global source on at-risk animals and plants—to identify species likely threatened by international trade, and compared these findings with CITES-listed species to identify potential gaps and develop a repeatable methodology.
Of the 904 species found to be likely threatened by international trade but without corresponding protection, hundreds are fish and flowering plants, with many species of birds, reptiles and amphibians also identified.
The list of 370 Endangered or Critically Endangered animals and plants in need of protection from overexploitation from international trade include 31 species of shark and ray traded for their meat and fins, as well as 23 species of palm heavily traded for horticulture. The list of species also includes the Endangered Owston's Civet—which is snared for wild meat and traditional medicine—and the Endangered Greater Green Leafbird—which is caught for the songbird trade.
The potential for gaps in species protections has been raised during recent CITES meetings, and the researchers are now calling for their findings and methodology to be used to inform Parties about species that may merit consideration for potential listing proposals at future CITES Conference of the Parties (CoPs).