How Countries ‘Import’ and ‘Export’ Extinction Risk around the World

A new study quantified how the consumption habits of people in each country, through trade and supply networks, imperil threatened and near-threatened terrestrial species of amphibians, mammals and birds. For the study, recently published in Scientific Reports, researchers used a metric called the extinction-risk footprint. The team found that 76 countries are net “importers” of this footprint, meaning they drive demand for products that contribute to the decline of endangered species abroad. Other countries, e.g. Madagascar, Tanzania, are designated as net “exporters,” meaning their extinction-risk footprint is driven more by consumption habits in other countries. In several countries domestic consumption is the most significant driver of extinction risk within those nations. This map shows the category of extinction-risk footprint by country. The extinction-risk footprint category is determined by which of the imported, exported, or domestic footprints is the largest. The highest impact sector is that which has the highest extinction-risk footprint of all sectors based in that country, driven by consumption from all countries. The dataset highlights the economic sector for each country, based on the expenditure data recorded against the sector of final demand, the point at which households, governments or non-profit institutions purchase a product or service.