According to the World Conservation Union (IUCN), 39% of extinctions are due to the introduction of species, 36% to habitat destruction and 23% to hunting and premeditated extermination. Furthermore, the fraudulent trade in protected animals and plants is one of the most important causes of the loss of biodiversity in the world. This leads to a dramatic situation that causes that 700 species of fauna and flora are on the verge of extinction and that some 2,300 animal species and 24,000 plants are threatened.
Index
Illegal trade in protected species
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Adena), this practice is the third most economically profitable illegal business in the world (only behind the sale of arms and drugs). It is estimated that annually it moves around 160,000 million euros. As if that were not enough, the penalties are ridiculous and that makes it more profitable to pay them than to leave the business.
Spain does not escape from this despicable practice. Its strategic position on the map and the fact that it has great animal and plant wealth, makes it the third country where the most illegal trade in protected plants and animals takes place in the world.
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