Global trade in wild animals is soaring – South Africa’s laws aren’t doing enough to prevent harm

The quantity and complexity of commercial wildlife trade laws has grown globally over the past century. A new study examines wildlife trade laws in 11 countries and finds that a country’s Global Biodiversity Index does not correlate with the extent of its legislation that addresses the trade in wildlife. The authors spoke with The Conversation Africa about their South Africa-specific findings.

How big an issue is the global trade in wild animals?

It’s expanding rapidly as businesses exploit more species for financial gain. Legal wildlife trade averaged US$220 billion per annum between 1997 and 2016. Legal wild animal exports originating from Africa are estimated to be worth US$245 million each year.