Indicator 15.c.1 - Proportion of traded wildlife that was poached or illicitly trafficked - U.K. Indicators For The Sustainable Development Goals

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Since September 2023 we have paused the uploading of data reported on this site. However, the hyperlinks for the indicator data sources could be used to see where the data is published and whether newer data will become available in future. You can also find up to date SDG data on the UN SDG website which reports globally comparable data.

Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) seizures

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Download source data for disaggregations (.csv)

Headline data

Proportion of traded wildlife that was poached or illicitly trafficked
Year	Value	Units	Series	Observation status	Unit multiplier
2013	569.0	Number of times seized	Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) seizures	Normal value	Units
2014	512.0	Number of times seized	Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) seizures	Normal value	Units
2015	858.0	Number of times seized	Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) seizures	Normal value	Units
2016	689.0	Number of times seized	Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) seizures	Normal value	Units
2017	1076.0	Number of times seized	Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) seizures	Normal value	Units
2018	1116.0	Number of times seized	Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) seizures	Normal value	Units
2019	792.0	Number of times seized	Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) seizures	Normal value	Units
2020	489.0	Number of times seized	Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) seizures	Normal value	Units
2021	715.0	Number of times seized	Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) seizures	Normal value	Units
2022	749.0	Number of times seized	Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) seizures	Normal value	Units

Source: Home Office (HO)

Geographical Area: United Kingdom

Unit of Measurement: Number of seizures

Footnote:

Data for 2019 does not include any seizures made at Gatwick airport during Q4, due to a change in reporting systems.

2020 figures were impacted by the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic (see 'Other Information' below).

Where figures have been surpressed in the source data, they have been removed. This means that in cases where all four quarters were surpressed, there is no data point available for that year.

Number of endangered species seizures

Source:

Home Office (HO)

Geographical Area:

United Kingdom

Unit of Measurement:

Footnote:

Data for 2019 does not include any seizures made at Gatwick airport during Q4, due to a change in reporting systems.

2020 figures were impacted by the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic (see 'Other Information' below).

Where figures have been surpressed in the source data, they have been removed. This means that in cases where all four quarters were surpressed, there is no data point available for that year.

Footnote:

Data last updated:

Source:

Home Office (HO)

Geographical Area:

United Kingdom

Unit of Measurement:

Footnote:

Data for 2019 does not include any seizures made at Gatwick airport during Q4, due to a change in reporting systems.

2020 figures were impacted by the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic (see 'Other Information' below).

Where figures have been surpressed in the source data, they have been removed. This means that in cases where all four quarters were surpressed, there is no data point available for that year.

Footnote:

Data last updated:

This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from UK statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from UK statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other UK-specific metadata information.

Indicator available	Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) seizures
Indicator description	This indicator provides the number of Border Force seizures of species, parts or derivatives of species, and products containing species that have been illegally imported.
Geographical coverage	United Kingdom
Unit of measurement	Number of seizures
Definitions	Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) - An international agreement between governments, which aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. CITES accords varying degrees of protection to over 40,000 species of animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, derivative items, or dried herbs.
Available disaggregations	Endangered species type
Calculations	Figures provided in Border Force transparency data are given on a quarterly basis. The four quarters of each year have been summed to provide an annual figure of number of seizures, as quarterly seizure data is particularly volatile.
Other information	The total number of seizures may not equate to the sum of the CITES seizures. CITES record the number of individual specimens seized, whereas Border Force transparency data presented here reports the number of seizures not specimens. Moreover, this number may differ due to single and multiple seizures recorded by the Border Force data. Specifically, a multiple seizure is where two or more category types (e.g., caviar and timber) are seized on a particular occasion. Each of these seizures are reported against the relevant categories, but are only counted once in the total number of seizures. The data displayed on this page does not include specimens seized by the police inland which have passed through the UK border undetected. In addition, data for 2019 does not include any seizures made at Gatwick airport during Quarter 4, due to a change in reporting systems. Seizure numbers in 2020 were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, as there were extremely large reductions in both number of passengers and amount of cargo. In addition, enforcement work was disrupted by a stay-at-home order between March and August 2020, and changes to work practices on return. For further information on which species are protected by CITES please see Checklist of CITES species, and for further information on trade in CITES species see the CITES Trade Database. Volume of seizures by type are also available from the source data (Border Force transparency data). This indicator is being used as an approximation of the UN SDG Indicator. Where possible, we will work to identify or develop UK data to meet the global indicator specification. This indicator has not been identified in collaboration with topic experts.
Data last updated	17 August 2023
Metadata last updated	17 August 2023

This table provides information on metadata for SDG indicators as defined by the UN Statistical Commission. Complete global metadata is provided by the UN Statistics Division.

Indicator name	Proportion of traded wildlife that was poached or illicitly trafficked
Target name	Enhance global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, including by increasing the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities
UN designated tier	Tier II
UN custodian agency	United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Link to UN metadata	United Nations Sustainable Development Goals metadata for target 15.c opens in a new window

Organisation	Home Office (HO)
Periodicity	Quarterly
Earliest available data	2013
Geographical coverage	United Kingdom
Link to data source	Border Force transparency data Q1 2023 opens in a new window
Release date	25 May 2023
Next release	See source link: We plan to update indicator data within 4 months of data being released
Statistical classification	Official Statistic
Contact details	Not available for this source
Other information	Table BF_04 Convention of international trade of endangered species (CITES) seizures. While this source is updated on quarterly basis, the indicator is updated annually.