Information about Wildlife Trade

The international trade in wildlife is a serious conservation problem. Globally, wildlife trade is the second largest illegal trade in volume, and comes only next to narcotics and is followed by arms and ammunition. It's the most serious threat to a number of endangered and vulnerable species.

International trade in wildlife is addressed by the United Nation's Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which currently has 170 member countries or Parties. The XV COP of CITES is scheduled to be held in Qatar in June 2009.


TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is an international organization dedicated to ensuring that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.

The Species Survival Network (SSN) is an international coalition of over 80 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) committed to the promotion, enhancement, and strict enforcement of CITES.

External links

• The official CITES website
• The Species Survival Network website

Illegal wildlife trade Illegal wildlife trade totals billions of dollars a year globally, but conservationists say the problem is most acute in Southeast Asia. Despite international and local laws designed to crack down on the trade, live animals and animal parts -- often those of endangered or threatened species -- are sold in open-air markets throughout the region. Growing demand, porous borders and the lure of big money make it a lucrative business. The animals involved in the trade end up as trophies, or in specialty restaurants. Some are used in traditional Asian medicines.

The trade also includes fresh water tortoises and turtles, pythons, cobras, rats, snakes and monitor lizards. Mammals are traded by the thousands of tons. And when we're dealing with the meat trade, we're looking at 1,000s of kilograms being traded for domestic consumption. They're wiping out the wildlife.