Asien ist mittlerweile Zentrum des wachsenden illegalen Wildtierhandels in über 100 Ländern. Untersuchungen verdeutlichen das Wachstum illegaler Netzwerke, die mittlerweile die ganze Welt verweben: Die Zahl der beteiligten Länder hat sich von 49 im Jahr 2000 auf 110 im Jahr 2019 mehr als verdoppelt, und die Handelsverbindungen stiegen um mehr als 400 %.

Wildlife trade is decimating the planet’s biodiversity, driving declines in more than 31,500 wild species and spreading infectious zoonotic diseases that jump between wildlife, livestock and humans.

In addition to massive legal, regulated trade, there’s widespread illicit trafficking in both live animals and high-demand, profitable animal products, a commerce worth at least $20 billion per year. Dubbed “one of the world’s largest criminal activities,” wildlife ranks among the most lucrative smuggled goods, a list that includes guns, drugs and humans — but with way lower risks.

Yet, there’s patchy data on how this trade has grown over the years; what species are trafficked; and where the hotspots are. What we do know comes from law enforcement seizures, which are often just the tip of the iceberg.

“Much of what we know about [illegal wildlife trade] is based on static estimates, isolated case studies or regional snapshots, rather than long-term, system-level analyses,” said researcher Tow Jia Hao at the National University of Singapore. “[It] is a difficult picture to piece together and tackle, especially with much of the pieces still being hidden.”

https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.70196