Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online

Check out the Coalition’s 2024 progress update and help report suspicious wildlife content online: endwildlifetraffickingonline.org/report

The world’s most endangered species are under threat from an unsuspecting source—the Internet.

Advances in technology and connectivity across the world, combined with rising buying power and demand for illegal wildlife products, have increased the ease of exchange from poacher to consumer. As a result, an unregulated online market allows criminals to sell illegally obtained wildlife products across the globe. Purchasing elephant ivory, tiger cubs, and pangolin scales is as easy as tap, pay, ship.

Fortunately, dozens of companies comprising 50+ of the world’s most popular digital apps and platforms have joined forces to shut down online marketplaces for wildlife traffickers. The Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online launched in 2018 with conservation convenors WWF, TRAFFIC, and IFAW. This collaboration aims to unite the tech industry to standardize prohibited wildlife policies, train staff to better detect prohibited wildlife, enhance automated detection filters, and educate and empower users to report suspicious listings. At the core of this effort is sharing learning and best practices to avoid duplication and prevent wildlife traffickers from shifting activities from one platform to the next. The Coalition aims to complement additional approaches, such as those of law enforcement agencies.

Various statistics and progress update of the coalition
Compilation of the partner company logos involved in the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking

How to get involved

For individuals

Learn more about species that shouldn’t be traded through our Coalition Prohibited Wildlife Policy Framework to make sure you aren’t unknowingly purchasing a protected live animal or species product. Report suspicious listings directly on company platforms or through the Coalition’s reporting page.

For companies

Is your company ready to join the tech sector in the fight against illegal wildlife trade online? Contact the team at [email protected] to get started.

     

    Wildlife parts and products

    Elephants

    Each year, thousands of African elephants are poached for their tusks to meet the demand for ivory.
    Before: © Martin Harvey / WWF + After: © WWF-US

    Rhinos

    Poaching for rhino horn is the greatest threat to all five rhino species. Rhino horn is sold as traditional medicine and tonics, and carved ornamental cups like this one.
    Before: © Martin Harvey / WWF + After: © WWF-US

    Pangolins

    One million pangolins were trafficked over a ten year period. Their products found online include scales for medicinal purposes and leather products like these boots, and live individuals.
    Before: © XL Catlin Seaview Survey + After: © WWF-US

    Marine Turtles

    Marine turtles are trafficked online for products made from their shells such as hair combs and leather products such as boots.
    Before: © Antonio Busiello/WWF-US + After: © Meg Gawler/WWF

    Tigers

    Tigers are trafficked as live cubs, furs, claws and teeth (as amulets) and bones used in traditional medicines.
    Before: © Tiger Walking Credit: Dipankar Ghose / WWF-India + After: © Ola Jennersten/WWF-Sweden

    Jaguars

    Trade in jaguar pelts and parts contributes to population decline. Despite reduced international demand, illegal domestic markets persist, fueling the trade and posing a threat to jaguar populations.

    Before: © Carlos Eduardo Fragoso / WWF-Brazil + After: © Diego Pérez / WWF Peru

    timeline

    2012

    1. WWF and Google spark conversation on a global coalition to stop the trade of endangered species online

    2016

    1. Google hosts workshop for 10 global tech companies to discuss formal collaboration on stopping illegal wildlife trade online.

    2. WWF, TRAFFIC, and IFAW convene leading experts to develop a wildlife-friendly online policy, offering a standardized framework for tech companies to adopt and to work towards building a unified front to stop illegal wildlife trade on their platforms and across the internet.

    3. Microsoft Bing adopts wildlife-friendly online policy help stop the sale of live animals and endangered and threatened animal products worldwide.

    4. Etsy adopts comprehensive animal product policy, prohibiting the sales of all CITES Appendix I and US Endangered Species Act species products.

    5. Ruby Lane bans all ivory from platform, and requires sellers to have appropriate state and federal certificates to trade in any and all CITES Appendix I species.

    2017

    1. WWF, TRAFFIC and IFAW provide training for eBay’s enforcement team on how to detect illegal wildlife products on the platform.

    2. eBay blocks / removes 45,000 listings from platform that violates wildlife policies.

    3. Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent announce formal alliance to combat wildlife trafficking online.

    4. Instagram prohibits sale of endangered animals and parts and launches content advisory interstitial for users searching hashtags associated with the illegal trade of wildlife.

    5. eBay, Etsy, Google, Pinterest, Microsoft participate in Coalition Wildlife Cyber Spotter Program.

    2018

    1. Twenty-one companies with operations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America join Google in officially launching the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online.

    2. Microsoft hosts “Detect & Prevent: AI Workshop to End Wildlife Trafficking Online,” convening Coalition companies, academia and NGOs to discuss opportunities to advance automation to identify illegal wildlife trade online.

    3. eBay, Rakuten and Google convene cyber-crime panel at the Illegal Wildlife Trade London conference, with Microsoft as keynote speaker, bringing international attention to the importance of cross-sector partnerships in ending wildlife trafficking online.

    4. eBay publicly announces blocking 100,000 illegal or suspicious wildlife listings from 2017 – 2018.

    5. Facebook and Instagram participate in Coalition Wildlife Cyber Spotter Program

    2019

    1. WWF, TRAFFIC and IFAW provide training for eBay’s enforcement team on how to detect illegal wildlife products on the platform.

    2. OfferUp adopts Coalition’s Wildlife-Friendly Online Policy, and educates users on how to spot suspicious sellers online.

    3. Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent announce formal alliance to combat wildlife trafficking online.

    4. Coalition celebrates one-year anniversary in Beijing; Etsy hosts US partners in New York City, welcoming eight new tech companies to join the Coalition.

    5. letgo and OfferUp participate in Coalition Wildlife Cyber Spotter Program, and refine automated wildlife sale detection algorithms based on results of the program.

    6. Facebook announces new wildlife policy, banning all sale of live animals in non-verified e-commerce channels, and the sale of all endangered species and endangered species products across the platform. Facebook also introduces new reporting workflow for live animals.

     

    Learn more

    Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online

    Helping to Protect wildlife on TikTok and Beyond (TikTok)

    How eBay blocked 257,000 listings that violated prohibited wildlife policies in 2020 (eBay)

    New Facebook alert informs users about wildlife trafficking (Facebook)

    Google employees search for prohibited wildlife products online while remote (Google)

    WWF teams up with Microsoft volunteers to protect pangolins (Microsoft)

    Protecting Wildlife and Nature from Exploitation (Instagram)

    Instagram Fights Abuse with New Alert System (National Geographic)

    Taking Steps to Combat Illegal Wildlife Trafficking (eBay)

    Enhancing Protection of Endangered Animals (Bing Ads)

    Working Together to End Illegal Wildlife Trafficking (Etsy)

    Chinese Internet Giants Launch Alliance to Combat Wildlife Crime (TRAFFIC)

    Saving wildlife from trafficking on the new conservation frontier — the internet (Paris Peace Forum)