The UK is providing more than £7 million to 22 projects that are tackling poaching of animals and the illegal wildlife trade.

Many endangered species, including bears, chimpanzees and pangolins, are in danger of extinction from this illegal trade – which will also see a heavy biodiversity loss to habitats and environments.

The Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund (IWTCF) will receive the funding – and it will then share the money between different environmental organisations looking to end this trade.

Two projects in Liberia looking to cut the demand for chimpanzee bushmeat will be beneficiaries of this investment, as well as an organisation in Laos that aims to stop the trafficking of wild bears.

International Environment Minister, Lord Goldsmith, said: “Biodiversity loss is one of the greatest challenges humanity faces today. The illegal wildlife trade threatens wild animals and plants with extinction, destroys precious ecosystems and increases the risk of zoonotic diseases spreading.

“The UK is leading calls to halt and reverse global biodiversity loss and the funding announced today comes less than six months ahead of the crucial COP15 Biodiversity Summit, where we will be leading a coalition of high ambition countries committed to agreeing a new global biodiversity framework with targets for 2030.”