Impact of WildLIFE Crime
Wildlife crime isn’t just an environmental concern. It’s a major global criminal industry with serious consequences for biodiversity, ecosystems, public health, local economies and the justice system.
Wildlife Crime Threatens Species
Illegal killing, poaching, poisoning and trade are driving thousands of species toward extinction. In fact, overexploitation is the second leading cause of biodiversity loss, right after land-use change.
Illegal killing often targets the healthiest breeding individuals, which damages population structures and reduces reproductive success. For slow-breeding species, like elephants or vultures, even small losses can have devastating effects.
Over 25 million birds are illegally killed across the Mediterranean every year.
Another 2 million are killed annually in Northern & Central Europe and the Caucasus.
Rhinos, elephants and pangolins are being poached faster than they can reproduce.
In the Balkans alone, around 115 vultures are poisoned each year.
Between 2015 and 2021, authorities seized 1,652 species globally:
Crime that Disrupts Ecosystems
Removing key species like predators, scavengers, and large herbivores disrupts balance, food webs, and soil and water quality.
Shark finning throws marine food webs off balance, impacting fish stocks like shellfish.
Illegal logging of valuable trees like rosewood - the most trafficked wild product, destroys habitats of many forest species.
Mass vulture poisoning alters changes in nutrient cycling, scavenger community dynamics and habitat health.
Poaching forest elephants reduces carbon storage in Central African rainforests by 6-9%, causing an estimated $2-7 billion economic loss over 10-30 years.
Economic Loss and Damage to Governance
Wildlife crime drains public funds, fuels corruption and robs nations of natural capital.
Wildlife crime is often linked to organized crime. It opens doors to money laundering, illicit finance and bribery.
Illegal wildlife trade, logging and fishing cost the global economy between USD 1-2 trillion each year. Over 90% of these figures come from estimated ecosystem services' value that are not currently priced by the market.
Governments lose between USD 7-12 billion annually in potential revenues from illegal wildlife trade, logging and fishing.
Elephant poaching alone results in USD 25 million in lost tourism income every year in Africa.
Countries like Namibia and South Africa spend millions annually just to fight illegal killing and trade-N$250 million/year (~ USD 14 million) in Namibia; USD 61 million over five years in South Africa to protect rhinos.
Illegal trade in elephant and rhino products generates between USD 34 million and 960 million annually in illicit financial flows.
A Growing Threat to Public Health
Wildlife trafficking is also a major biosecurity risk. It increases the chance of diseases jumping from animals to humans – and potentially causing the next pandemic.
Because these animals are trafficked without health checks, the risk of disease spillover is much higher.
WHO estimates that 60% of known human pathogens and 75% of emerging infectious diseases originate from animals.
Bushmeat trade has been linked to outbreaks like Ebola, HIV and SARS.
Species associated with 11 WHO high-risk diseases have repeatedly been found in illegal trade seizures.
Fueling Organized Crime and Conflict
Wildlife crime is now the fourth largest organized crime sector in the world – after drugs, arms, and human trafficking – worth up to €20 billion annually.
Syndicates use trafficking to launder money, smuggle arms and fund violence.
These networks thrive in places already affected by conflict, weak governance and corruption, making it harder to enforce laws and protect communities.
Wildlife crime undermines the justice system, security and stability.
Enabling Corruption and Environmental Injustice
Corruption is deeply embedded in wildlife crime – from forged permits to bribed customs officials.
Without strong enforcement and international cooperation, these networks continue to operate with impunity.
Some border points report bribes of up to €30,000 a day .
Legal loopholes in trade laws are often exploited to "launder" illegally sourced animals and plants .
Criminal operations also overlap with tax evasion, document fraud, and money laundering .
Human and Social Impacts
People on the frontlines are risking and losing their lives.
In many places, the damage pushes communities deeper into poverty or into crime themselves.
Wildlife crime perpetuates inequality, enables corruption and destroys the ecosystems we all depend on. It’s a serious crime with global implications, and stopping it requires action at every level.
Between 2006 and 2021, 2,351 rangers were killed. Over 40% were murdered.
Rangers and conservation workers face regular threats, assault and violence.
Women defenders face greater discrimination, harassment and vulnerability.
Wildlife crime also damages local livelihoods.
Eco-tourism suffers when iconic species disappear.
Rural areas lose legal, sustainable hunting, fishing, and forestry.
Developing nations lose billions each year to illegal trade.
Food, medicine, and culture suffer from biodiversity loss.
Sources:
IPBES. (2019).Summary for Policymakers of the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Bonn, Germany: IPBES Secretariat.
Juan Jose, M. M., Elisson, M. W., & Muhammad Najeeb, K. (2019). Illegal Logging, Fishing, and Wildlife Trade: The Costs and How to Combat It. Washington, DC: World Bank.
Pantović, U., Andevski, J., Duro, K., Selgjekaj, L., Dervović, T., Peshev, H., Dobrev, D., Fabijanić, N., Ntemiri, K., Saravia-Mullin, V., Sideri-Manoka, N., Petrovski, N., & Vukićević, A. (2022). https://balkandetoxlife.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Balkan-Vultures-Poison-Study-2022.pdfStudy About the Illegal Use of Poison in the Environment in the Balkan Peninsula. Technical Report for Action A.2 of the BalkanDetox LIFE project (LIFE19 GIE/NL/001016). Vulture Conservation Foundation.
UNODC. (2024). World Wildlife Crime Report 2024: Trafficking in Protected Species. Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
The WildLIFE Crime Academy is working with law enforcement, rangers, police, prosecutors and judges to build the skills and tools needed to investigate and prosecute these crimes.
Learn how we are building capacity to respond to wildlife crime: