It has no teeth to enforce wildlife trade laws and could cause the next pandemic.

The pandemic which has locked down the planet's human population is rooted in the trade and consumption of wild animals.

But the UN organisation which regulates this trade, CITES, is incapable of preventing the health crisis, says its former head, John Scanlon.

Speaking in an International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) webinar, "Can CITES help prevent the next pandemic?"

he said, "Perhaps we need to reverse the question and ask: Could CITES trade expose us to the next pandemic?"