Twice as many plants and animals sold in wildlife trade as previously thought, says report

The Guardian reports the following. ENC is republishing it as an attributed briefing, not as independently confirmed fact. If this item is false or incomplete, the responsibility sits with The Guardian, which released it. More than 100,000 species are traded globally, whether illegally smuggled, sold as ornaments or in fisheries, timber and fashion industries, study finds The number of plant and animal species in use or sold in the wildlife trade is more than twice as high as previously thought, researchers have discovered. A study, published in Science Advances , warns that there are huge gaps in global assessments of how wildlife is traded, and that past estimates have failed to keep up with changes such as the boom in the online exotic pet trade , where sellers offering to post spider eggs across the world or sneak reptiles on to planes are just a click away. Continue reading... Original link: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/30/twice-as-many-plants-and-animals-sold-in-wildlife-trade-as-previously-thought-says-report