The magnitude of legal wildlife trade and implications for species survival

Abstract

The unsustainable use of wildlife is a primary driver of global biodiversity loss. No comprehensive global dataset exists on what species are in trade, their geographic origins, and trade's ultimate impacts, which limits our ability to sustainably manage trade. The United States (US) is one of the world's largest importers of wildlife, trade data being compiled in the US Law Enforcement Management Information System (LEMIS), the only comprehensive publicly-accessible wildlife trade database of non-CITES listed species. In total, 21,097 species and over 2.85 billion individuals were traded over the past 22 years (2000-2022). When LEMIS data is combined with CITES records, the US imported over 29,445 wild species, including over 50% of all globally described species in some taxonomic groups. For most taxa, around half of the individuals are declared as sourced from the wild. Although LEMIS provides the only means to assess trade volumes for many taxa, without any associated data on most wild populations, it is impossible to assess the impact or sustainability of trade, or any potential risk of pest or pathogen spread. Furthermore, these insights underscore the likely under-estimation of trade, and the urgent need for other countries to adopt similar mechanisms to accurately record trade.