New research has found that illegal wildlife trafficking is closely linked with major global crimes, including drug trafficking and child exploitation.

Based on these findings, researchers are pushing for a more organized approach to dismantling global criminal networks and protecting local ecosystems from invasive species. 

What's happening?

A new study, published in the Journal of Economic Criminology, found that illegal wildlife trafficking converges with a multitude of illegal activities that cross international borders. 

Based on industry insights from more than 100 boots-on-the-ground investigators across Canada, South Africa, and Hong Kong, the study's researchers built a comprehensive map of the intersection of global crimes. 

In some Canadian provinces, they found, wildlife was bartered and traded like currency, per The Conversation. Sturgeon, a critically endangered fish often poached for caviar, was exchanged directly for illegal drugs. 

In other Canadian provinces, wildlife was traded for guns, preserved reptiles, animal parts, and human bones. 

The researchers also linked illegal rhino horn trafficking networks in South Africa with local child exploitation rings, finding parallel connections in Hong Kong between traffickers of shark fin and endangered turtles and those who deal with counterfeit and pirated goods. 

Trafficking in illegal commodities causes global economic losses of more than $2 trillion, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. 

Why is wildlife trafficking important?

Wildlife trafficking is a brutal and traumatizing experience for many smuggled wildlife species. They are often stuffed in small and suffocating spaces, like carry-on luggage or inside shoes, where they can suffer from injuries or even death. 

Aside from the inhumane conditions that smuggled wildlife species endure, wildlife trafficking threatens local ecosystems. Introducing new wildlife species into a region can disrupt the balance and order of native ecosystems, leading to the overtake of native plant and wildlife species as they compete for food and other natural resources. Once established, invasive species can be difficult and costly to eradicate. 

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What's being done about wildlife trafficking?

The study researchers point out that global crimes are often investigated and prosecuted separately — especially across international borders — but they should, in fact, be pursued collectively. Joint collaboration and information sharing could lead to more effective takedowns of criminal networks, which is "essential to counter illegal wildlife trade," the study read. 

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, a global cooperation among over 180 countries, also helps regulate international trade in animals and plants to minimize the negative environmental impacts of traded wildlife. 

Researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Maryland have also collaborated to train artificial intelligence models to identify wildlife trafficking hubs at airports based on past trafficking data patterns. 

At the University of Miami, researchers developed a tool to identify online listings of endangered or trade-restricted species, further disrupting the illicit wildlife trade industry. 

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