Science

Global wildlife trade is twice previous species estimates, but major data gaps suggest true scale is even larger

Read full article at source ↗

Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 30/10/2026, 18:10:24 UTC.

Briefings

New research indicates global wildlife trade involves over 107,000 species, representing more than double previously estimated figures. This figure likely underestimates the true scale due to significant gaps in both trade and wildlife collection data. The study was published in October 2026, and while it highlights a doubling of known species, the evidence explicitly states that the true scale may be far greater.

Key points

• Global wildlife trade currently involves more than 107,000 species, a figure that is more than double previous estimates.
• The true scale of this trade is likely far greater than the current numbers suggest due to major data gaps.

Context

A recent study published in October 2026 reveals that the number of species used and traded worldwide has doubled compared to prior research. This finding is significant because it highlights a substantial underestimation of global wildlife trade volume.

Limitations

The evidence explicitly states that the true scale of the trade may be far greater than the current estimates due to major gaps in trade and wildlife collection data. The study does not provide specific numbers for the missing data or identify the specific regions where these gaps are most severe.

Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 30/10/2026, 18:15:17 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.

View archived briefing on IPFS
bafybeib5nzujy65pvtpup76rbrkeidgqmj7gja4wwwwokt3pwzljv52f3i