Knowra Illegal wildlife trade Illegal wildlife trade Illegal wildlife trade is the unlawful capture, transport, or sale of wild animals and their parts. It spans local markets and transnational supply chains.
Wildlife trafficking : The illicit movement and exchange of wild animals, plants, or their products across supply chains. This overlapping concept emphasizes the movement and logistics that connect poaching to buyers.
Biodiversity loss : The decline in the variety and abundance of life across genes, species, and ecosystems. Removing wildlife from populations contributes directly to declines in species and ecological diversity.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora : A multilateral treaty regulating international trade in listed wild animals and plants. CITES establishes controls on international commerce, though it does not prohibit every wildlife trade.
Legal wildlife trade : The regulated exchange of wild animals, plants, or their products under applicable laws and permits. Legal trade can resemble illicit commerce physically, but its authorization and traceability differ.
Organized crime : Serious criminal activity coordinated by groups that persist over time and pursue profit or power. Some trafficking networks overlap with organized crime, but their scale and structure vary by place and commodity.
Wildlife poaching : The illegal killing, capture, or taking of wild animals. Poaching is a major way animals enter illegal trade, though trade can also involve other sources.
Defaunation : The loss or depletion of animal populations from ecosystems, especially through human activities. Trade-driven hunting can empty ecosystems of animals even when habitats remain intact.
Wildlife forensics : Scientific methods used to identify species, geographic origin, or individual animals in wildlife investigations. Forensic evidence can connect seized products to protected species and support prosecutions.
Sustainable use of wildlife : Use of wild species at rates that maintain populations and their ecological roles over time. It contrasts with extraction that is unlawful or depletes populations beyond recovery.
Demand for wildlife products : Consumer desire for wild animals and their parts for food, medicine, pets, decoration, or status. Demand is diverse and culturally specific, complicating efforts to design effective reduction campaigns.
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