Tech, crypto firms to help tackle illegal wildlife trade

group of leading international technology, ​crypto and other ​businesses on Monday announced plans to ​help stamp out the illegal trade in wildlife.

Announcement made as part of a business forum convened by Prince William ‌and ⁠The Royal ⁠Foundation's United for Wildlife during London Climate Action Week.

​Companies including Google, Meta, TikTok and Alibaba commit to end ​trafficking on their platforms. To look for ways to eradicate online listings, including through AI-enabled detection ​and prevention.


Represent a fifth of ⁠the global ‌e-commerce market and 90% of ​the world's ​social media users.

Vodafone, Vodacom, Safaricom ⁠to use AI in anti-money-laundering and transaction ​monitoring systems across mobile money platform M-Pesa.

Crypto, blockchain analytics firms and payment companies including PayPal, TRM Labs, Chainalysis and Luno commit to disrupt financial flows linked to the illegal wildlife trade.

British Airways and Heathrow to ‌launch a public awareness campaign about the trade.

A United Nations Environment Programme report ​says trade ​in wildlife ⁠products generates as much as $23 billion annually. Estimated 1 million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction.

​David Fein, co-chair of United for Wildlife: "What we see from the private sector today is a recognition that the illegal wildlife trade is both an environmental and a business issue."