The European Union remains a major hub for global wildlife trafficking, with nearly 5,200 seizures reported in 2023. The confiscations mostly involved critically endangered European eels (Anguilla anguilla), timber and medicinal plants, according to a new report by wildlife trade monitor TRAFFIC. Worth an estimated $23 billion a year, the illegal wildlife trade is a major driver of biodiversity loss and transnational crime, according to the U.N. The report underscores the urgent need for stronger enforcement, increased public awareness, and global cooperation to curb the trade. TRAFFIC’s latest report draws on data from the European Trade in Wildlife Information eXchange website, which compiles centralized seizure and offense records from 34 European countries. The report found that more than 1 million specimens were seized across the EU between January and December 2023. These included more than 600,000 live animals and 10,000 live plants. The seizures involved at least 574 species — 489 animals and 85 plants — listed under the global wildlife trade convention CITES. “The EU remains a significant market for wildlife trafficking, as commercial entities and individuals continue to smuggle wild species and their products into, through, and from EU Member States,” Anastasiya Timoshyna, director of TRAFFIC’s European program office, said in a news release. Germany, France, the Netherlands and Spain accounted for nearly 75% of reported seizures. While 86% of intercepted shipments were destined for the EU market, destination details in seizure records indicate that others were en route to countries such as the United States and United…This article was originally published on Mongabay