Hunting, wildlife trade, fishing and conflict cause direct mortality

Direct exploitation is a major global driver of biodiversity loss, according to the IPBES Global Assessment. Threatened animals may be targeted for food, medicine, pets, trophies or commercial fisheries, or killed incidentally through bycatch and indiscriminate gear.

Retaliatory killing and lethal control can also remove animals where wildlife damages crops, livestock, fishing income or human safety. Species with slow reproduction, restricted ranges or small populations can decline even when annual mortality appears numerically low.

This issue covers direct human-caused removal or killing. Habitat damage, pollution and introduced predators are outside its primary scope.