A new international initiative led by Prince William is bringing together major technology, crypto, finance and transport companies to combat illegal wildlife trafficking, one of the world’s most profitable criminal trades. The effort was unveiled at a business forum held by United for Wildlife, the organization founded by William, during Climate Week in London.
Companies including Google, Meta, TikTok and Alibaba said they will work to remove content and ads linked to illegal wildlife trade from their platforms. They also plan to use advanced artificial intelligence to identify suspicious posts automatically, block them and prevent their spread. Interpol estimates the illegal wildlife trade is worth up to $20 billion a year and is often tied to organized crime, money laundering and human trafficking.
The initiative also targets the financial networks that support the trade. Crypto and fintech firms including PayPal, Chainalysis, TRM Labs and Luno will help track cash flows connected to trafficking. Telecommunications companies Vodafone, Vodacom and Safaricom said they will integrate AI into anti-money-laundering systems for mobile payment platforms such as M-Pesa.
The aviation sector is also joining the effort. British Airways and Heathrow Airport plan awareness campaigns aimed at passengers to reduce demand for products made from wildlife. Organizers said the new move builds on earlier cooperation, noting that since 2018 a separate online-trafficking coalition has removed more than 24 million illegal wildlife-related posts. They also cited new tools, including algorithms that can detect smuggled marine animals through 3D X-ray scans with up to 96% accuracy.
