Description of Impact(s) (English Only) A new paper published in the September 2023 edition of the Journal of Environmental Management has identified four core areas that must be strengthened for a better approach to wildlife trade and monitoring.

Titled "Determining the sustainability of legal wildlife trade," in the study, authors highlight the finding from the 2019 IPBES Global Assessment that exploitation of wildlife is the second greatest threat to global diversity and its vital contributions to people.

The authors provide 183 examples showing unsustainable trade in a broad range of taxonomic groups and calling for enacting changes in regulatory frameworks, deeming them "essential to the continued survival of many threatened species." These are: (1) rigorous data collection and analyses of populations; (2) linking trade quotas to IUCN and international accords; (3) improved databases and compliance of trade; and (4) enhanced understanding of trade bans, market forces, and species substitutions.

"Given that wildlife exploitation is a major driver of biodiversity loss (IPBES et al., 2019), demand-related information is urgently required to determine sustainability," cited the authors.