Plants, animals, fungi: Global wildlife trade involves 107,000 species, double previous estimates, study finds

A new study published in Science Advances has revealed that global wildlife trade involves 107,000 species, more than double the previous estimates of 50,000. Led by the University of Melbourne in Australia, the research highlights the vast extent of wildlife trade, which includes not only illegal activities involving iconic species like elephants, tigers, and pangolins, but also legal trade in timber, seafood, medicinal plants, pets, cut flowers, ornamental fish, and fungi.

Lead researcher Professor Alice Hughes emphasized that there is currently a lack of comprehensive data on most of these traded species, making it difficult to assess the impact of trade on species survival. The study calls for improved data collection and standardized monitoring methods to better track the trade and protect biodiversity.

Brief written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.