A line chart showing global wildlife exports by animal type from 1975 to 2014.

Line chart depicting trends in global wildlife exports, measured in whole organism equivalents, for different animal groups over four decades.

Global wildlife exports Wildlife trade is quantified in terms of whole organism equivalents (WOE). For example, five skulls represent five WOEs, whereas it's assumed that four ears are sourced from two animals and so represent two WOEs. 8 million 7 million 6 million 5 million 4 million 3 million 2 million 1 million 0 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2014 Reptiles Invertebrates Birds Fish Mammals Amphibians Data source: Harfoot et al. (2018). Unveiling the patterns and trends in 40 years of global trade in CITES-listed wildlife. OurWorldinData.org/biodiversity | CC BY Our World in Data