China has rich natural resources and is seeking to play a leadership role in global conservation, but its economic goals often take priority over protecting lands and wildlife.
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Articles on Wildlife trade
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Tackling this global problem requires an international effort – particularly by rich nations where the demand for exotic pets is increasing.
For the lab leak theory to be true, SARS-CoV-2 must have been present in the Wuhan Institute of Virology before the pandemic started. But there’s not a single piece of data suggesting this.
International proposals to ban the trade of polar bear parts undercut Inuit rights, knowledge and decision-making.
Social media platforms have enabled wildlife traders to connect as never before. Some operate legally, within the boundaries of international laws. Others are less scrupulous.
In China, the wildlife trade is thriving, driven by the increased demands for luxury goods and traditional medicine. But there is real concern about the threat of diseases that can cross over to humans.
How can nations prevent more pandemics like COVID-19? One priority is reducing the risk of diseases’ jumping from animals to humans. And that means understanding how human actions fuel that risk.
We analysed the legal systems regulating the wildlife trade in China. Here’s what we found.
The pandemic has brought humanity’s strained relationship with nature into sharp focus.
Reptiles are consistently overlooked by regulators of the trade in wildlife, but many face extinction in the wild.
Enforcement at protected areas is key way to prevent bushmeat poaching, but it’s also important to recognise the contribution bushmeat makes to livelihoods, incomes and food security.
Yellow fever, malaria and Ebola all spilled over from animals to humans at the edges of tropical forests. The new coronavirus is the latest zoonosis.
The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a harsh light on global commerce in wildlife. But many accounts focus on demand from Asia, ignoring the role of US and European consumers.
In the 1800s, Americans hunted many wild species near or into extinction. Then in the early 1900s, the US shifted from uncontrolled consumption of wildlife to conservation. Could Asia follow suit?
Ecological systems are at breaking point and a global economic collapse is under way. It’s time to invest in risk mitigation to prevent another COVID-type disaster.
Stressed animals are more likely to harbour new diseases because their immune systems are compromised.
If wildlife trade is forced underground it could become an even bigger threat to public health, fuel black market prices, and accelerate exploitation and extinction of species in the wild.
Wild animals and animal parts are bought and sold worldwide, often illegally. This multibillion-dollar industry is pushing species to extinction, fueling crime and spreading disease.
Wildlife crime is difficult to track but of deep concern since about 60% of primate species are now threatened with extinction.
Social media offers good conditions for wildlife trafficking to thrive.
Top contributors
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Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford
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Head, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Adelaide
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Senior Research Associate, Institute for the Future of Knowledge, University of Johannesburg
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Former Foundation Professor of Animal Welfare, University of Queensland, Curtin University
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Professor of Criminology, Northumbria University, Newcastle
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Oxford Martin Fellow, University of Oxford
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Research Fellow in Conservation Marketing, University of Oxford
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Ecologist, Edinburgh Napier University
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Zoology Research Fellow, University of Oxford
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Professor of Applied Mathematics, University of Adelaide
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Associate Professor of Global Governance and Director, Center for Governance and Sustainability, John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, UMass Boston
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Research Professor at NCSU and Scientist at NC Museum of Natural Sciences, North Carolina State University
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Associate Professor in Conservation Geography, University of Helsinki
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Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Florida
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Principal Lecturer in Ecotourism, Anglia Ruskin University
