One in five animal species is already sold on the black market

• Taxideralia.Cae one of the largest networks of illegal animal trafficking in Spain
• Conservation: A laboratory to fight the trafficking of species that fits in a briefcase

One in five animal species is available on the black market. And in the next few years up to a third of all the planet's wildlife will be affected by illegal traffic. This is revealed by a new study, published Thursday in the journal 'Science' which also indicates that the current estimates on the scope of this criminal activity are dramatically inferior to the reality of the problem. Specifically, the figures would be between 40% and 60% higher than previously believed.

The authors explain that previous work had focused solely on endangered species, but many others are also involved. "It's not that previous studies have missed things," explains Brett Scheffers, a researcher at the Department of Wildlife and Ecology at the University of Florida and co-author of the document, "but rather that no previous work had put together such an exhaustive assessment of so many species, regardless of their conservation status. "

The wild animal trade is one of the branches of organized crime that moves the most money worldwide. It is estimated that, at least, it generates about 80,000 million euros per year. Copies of all families of the animal kingdom are bought and sold as pets and trophies, or used to obtain ivory, furs, medicines or meat. A global problem that has not stopped increasing in recent decades, despite the fact that trade has been banned worldwide. The result is a threat to the survival of the species involved, including some of the most emblematic: millions of sharks, tens of thousands elephants, thousands of rhinos and hundreds of tigers disappear every year in criminal networks around the world.

Preventive actions

But the difficulty of tracking these clandestine organizations makes it very difficult to quantify the scope and the real impact on animal populations. In this case, the team of researchers has developed a model to evaluate the effects of species trafficking on 31,745 varieties of birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, based on data from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The study indicates that more than 5,500 of these species are currently being marketed worldwide, representing 18% of the total live vertebrate animals. "Wildlife conservation efforts are usually reactive, especially with illegal trade; often, protection is only established once the species is in danger of extinction, not before," adds Scheffers. "Our approach allows policy makers and natural heritage managers to be more proactive and be able to anticipate future goals."

In this way, researchers have developed a model that allows us to identify animals that are not currently being massively marketed, but will become so in the future. "We have established their relationship with other species and used a combination of methods that mix evolutionary similarity with already marketed species and body size," explains David Edwards, a conservation specialist at Sheffield University. With this analysis, the authors have identified 3,196 additional species that may become targets of illegal networks in the coming years.

Birds and mammals, the most punished

On the other hand, they affirm that the impact of illegal trade is more severe in certain animal groups, specifically in birds and mammals. "Birds and mammals are often marketed as pets and also as products, so the problem affects a wider range of species, while reptiles are marketed primarily as pets," says Edwards. "In addition there are more reptiles that have not yet been cataloged by IUCN, so it is possible that their traffic may have been underestimated."

The study also reveals that the damage is greater in specific regions of the world. South America suffers especially from bird trafficking, while Africa and Southeast Asia concentrate a large part of the missing mammals. "Our study points to the animals that are the subject of this trade and where the major outbreaks are located," Edwards describes. "It is important to know that information before you can implement any management or policy action. Our assessment underlines the need for a strategic plan to fight that trade. "

Macro operations

In addition to the cruelty it implies for animals that are direct victims, species trafficking weakens ecosystems and slows down efforts to conserve biodiversity in many regions, which must also face problems of deforestation and climate change. A large operation carried out only a few months ago by INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization (WCO) illustrates the current scale of the problem. Baptized as Thunderball, it included arrests and seizures in 109 countries.

The result was a chilling inventory that included 23 live primates; 30 large cats, 440 elephant tusks and an additional 545 kg of ivory objects, plus five rhinoceros horns, more than 4,300 birds and almost 1,500 live reptiles. Spain played a central role in that operation and 21 of the arrests took place in our country. The Civil Guard also seized 76 copies of the Aldabra giant tortoise at the El Prat airport, while in the rest of the territory 628 live reptiles were found, numerous animal bodies used as trophies and a clandestine zoo in Badajoz, in which there were more than 100 animals of various species.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

• science
• Science and Health

Science Identify a new species of giant salamander as the world's largest amphibian

Fires After the Amazon, the Pantanal burns, the other great natural treasure of Brazil

Science A large fireball crosses the sky of Andalusia