The Evolving War on Illegal Wildlife Trade

This policy brief examines the scale and structure of the illegal wildlife trade, the historical evolution of international regulatory frameworks—specifically CITES—and the emerging debate over whether a new, legally binding international instrument is needed to address wildlife crime and zoonotic disease risks in a post-COVID-19 world.

• Illegal wildlife trade is a highly lucrative global business, with annual values estimated between USD 7 billion and USD 23 billion. It is often managed by sophisticated international criminal networks that exploit low risks and high rewards.
• Trafficking networks are complex and can involve between five and more than fifteen people. Some operations are facilitated by wealthy individuals with political connections, including foreign development workers who use their access to remote areas and political influence to bypass border controls.
• The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), established in 1973, protects over 37,000 species. However, it was not designed as a crime convention and does not mandate that member countries criminalize illegal wildlife trade.
• CITES faces limitations because it only regulates international trade and lacks oversight of domestic activities. While it can use trade suspensions as economic sanctions, it possesses no tools to punish criminals directly.
• There are growing arguments for a new international treaty focused on wildlife crime or 'One Health' (integrating human, veterinary, and wildlife health). Proponents argue that CITES is overstretched and that a regime based on international criminal law, rather than trade law, is necessary to address corruption and non-listed species.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the debate over wildlife trade due to the risk of zoonoses. While some propose adding a new Appendix IV to CITES for species posing public health threats, others warn that prohibiting legal trade could inadvertently drive more activity underground.

APA

Rosen,, T. (2020). The Evolving War on Illegal Wildlife Trade. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/evolving-war-illegal-wildlife-trade

Chicago

Rosen,, Tanya. The Evolving War on Illegal Wildlife Trade. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/evolving-war-illegal-wildlife-trade.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rosen, |first1=Tanya |title=The Evolving War on Illegal Wildlife Trade |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=6 October 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/evolving-war-illegal-wildlife-trade |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rosen2020evolving, author = {Rosen,, Tanya}, title = {{The Evolving War on Illegal Wildlife Trade}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = oct, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/evolving-war-illegal-wildlife-trade}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }