Pangolin replica products are displayed during an event to raise awareness on saving pangolin in Windhoek, Namibia, on Feb. 19, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wildlife trafficking has persisted worldwide despite two decades of anti-crime action, with more than 4,000 species affected, according to a United Nations (UN) report published Monday.

"The global scope and scale of wildlife crime remain substantial," said the third edition of the World Wildlife Crime Report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), noting that between 2015 and 2021, there were illegal trades in 162 countries and territories, affecting around 4,000 plant and animal species. About 3,250 of these species are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

The report noted that transnational organized crime groups are active in various roles along the trade chain of wildlife trafficking, and the traffickers exploit inconsistencies and weaknesses in regulation and enforcement, adapting their methods and routes continuously to evade detection and prosecution.

The report called for more consistent enforcement to tackle supply and demand, effective implementation of legislation including anti-corruption laws and more robust monitoring and research.

"To address this crime, we must match the adaptability and agility of the illegal wildlife trade," said Ghada Waly, executive director of UNODC. "This demands strong, targeted interventions at both the demand and the supply side of the trafficking chain, efforts to reduce criminal incentives and profits, and greater investment in data, analysis, and monitoring capacities."