{
  "id": 17330143,
  "title": "Animals, plants, fungi: Study: Trade in wild species much larger than thought",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/tiere-pflanzen-pilze-studie-handel-mit-wilden-arten-ist-viel-gro-er",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-31T03:00:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/technik/forschung-innovation/tiere-pflanzen-pilze-studie-handel-mit-wilden-arten-ist-viel-groesser-als-gedacht/100266288.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "The trade of wild animals, plants, and fungi worldwide involves at least 107,356 species, more than double the previously estimated 50,000 species. A study published in Science Advances by the University of Melbourne found that this number could be even higher due to a lack of systematic data in many countries. The study reports that the legal trade is valued at $220-300 billion annually, while the illegal trade is estimated at $28.4-39.5 billion. The unsustainable harvesting of these species has led to the extinction of 294 species and the decline of many more, with traded populations having 50-60% smaller populations than non-traded ones.",
  "summary": "The trade in wild species is worth billions and involves far more than just animals. A new study reveals the enormous scale – and how little is known about the consequences.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}