Wildlife crime is a global crisis with consequences extending well beyond biodiversity loss. The impacts are complex, threatening ecosystems and species survival, destabilizing economies and communities, and posing risks to global health and safety.
Wildlife crime is the largest direct threat to the future of many of the world’s most threatened species, second only to habitat destruction in overall threats to species survival. Wildlife crime is driven by powerful international criminal networks and generates up to $25 billion annually, with the profits linked to armed militias and insurgency. This illegal activity spans continents and fuels corruption, often in biodiversity-rich but economically vulnerable regions.
Illegal wildlife trade targets elephants, rhinos, tigers, and many other vulnerable species. It is unsustainable and devastating, and strips ecosystems of key species, disrupts ecological balance, and pushes many animals and plants closer to extinction.
• More than 15,000 African elephants are killed each year for their ivory
• Three rhinos are killed each day in South Africa alone for their horns
• An estimated 195,000 pangolins were trafficked in 2019 for their scales, with an estimated 1 million poached over a ten-year period
To combat poaching and trafficking, WWF uses cutting-edge technologies including thermal cameras and AI systems that enhance anti-poaching efforts to great effect, particularly in Africa, to prevent rhino and elephant poaching. At ports, X-ray scanners are equipped with AI autodetection systems to alert to concealed wildlife products, and forensic tools such as DNA testing help trace the species origins, while sniffer dog vacuum systems at border controls provide additional scrutiny.
Advances in technology and global connectivity, combined with rising buying power and demand for illegal wildlife and their products, have increased the ease of exchange from poacher to consumer. As a result, a largely unregulated online market allows criminals to sell illegally obtained wildlife and their products across the globe. Purchasing elephant ivory, tiger cubs, and pangolin scales is as easy as tap, pay, ship.
In response, WWF launched the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online in partnership with TRAFFIC, IFAW, and 40+ e-commerce companies to stop illegal wildlife trade on the internet. Together these companies represent the world’s most popular digital platforms, working to keep endangered species #OfflineAndInTheWild. Since March of 2018, the Coalition has helped to block over 24.1 million prohibited wildlife listings and suspected illicit sellers.
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