MELBOURNE, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- More than 107,000 species are used and traded worldwide, more than double previous estimates, according to a new study that warns the true scale could be far greater due to major gaps in global monitoring data.
Published in Science Advances and led by Australia's University of Melbourne, the study identified 107,356 species traded across plants, animals and fungi, compared with previous estimates of about 50,000 species in trade worldwide, according to a university statement released on Saturday.
Wildlife trade was a well-established driver of biodiversity loss, but information on its extent and sustainability remained incomplete and fragmented, said lead researcher Professor Alice Hughes from the university's School of BioSciences.
Wildlife trade extended far beyond the illegal trade of elephants, tigers and pangolins, encompassing timber, seafood, medicinal plants, pets, cut flowers, ornamental fish and fungi, most of which were legal, Hughes said.
"For most of these species we have little to no data. There is no data on quantity and origins, let alone the population level data to assess if trade poses a risk to species survival," she said, adding the global biodiversity framework's existing trade target covered only about 2 to 3 percent of species in trade, missing the remaining 97 percent.
The researchers called for standardized data collection and more comprehensive, transparent and globally coordinated reporting, saying existing customs and animal health inspection processes could be adapted to improve wildlife trade monitoring. ■