People have eaten wildlife and relied on their products throughout our history. Wildlife remains critical for the nutrition and welfare of communities around the world, in particular Indigenous Peoples. However, current levels of consumption - driven by trends in food, fashion, alternative medicine, and wildlife farming - are unsustainable,
24% of all wild terrestrial vertebrate species are traded globally. The trade in wildlife has increased more than five-fold in value in the last 15 years and was estimated to be worth $107 billion in 2019. The illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be worth US$7-23 billion annually.
At Nature.Health.Global. we are analyzing the patterns and volume of trade routes, and the risk they pose to public health, and species extinction.
We have conducted surveys to understand why people pay for these products, and what alternatives would be acceptable.
Our goals are to design, test, and promote pathways to reduce the unsustainable wildlife trade, and therefore reduce its risk to conservation and our own health.
Wildlife consumption patterns vary markedly among countries: North America, Europe, and some parts of Asia are net importers, while the European Union and the United States of America are leading consumers of legally traded wildlife for pets and for the fashion industry.
Wildlife farming has expanded substantially in the last few decades, with international legal wildlife trade having increased 500% in value since 2015. In China, wildlife farming was a ~$20 billion industry employing around 15 million people. The network of farms, trade routes, and live animal markets reaches across mainland China, and throughout Southeast Asia. This trade has been linked directly to the emergence of SARS and COVID-19 and remains a high risk for generating the next emerging pandemic.
