It is estimated that more than 350 million wild animals and plants are bought and sold in the world every year. Some of this trade is legal, but TRAFFIC has estimated that the illegal trade in endangered species is worth £6-12 billion every year.

The illegal trade is not only driving species towards extinction but it also has direct impacts on ecosystems and the livelihoods of local people in some of the world's poorest countries.

This is a major area of international crime and it is threatening many species with extinction. As the world's human population increases and more people enjoy a better standard of living, so demand for consumer products increases and some of these are made from endangered species.

Products made from many endangered species have been found illegally on sale in London.