China’s top legislative body, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), announced a sweeping ban on the trade and consumption of wild animals as part of the effort to stem the deadly COVID-19 outbreak that has crippled the country.

The new restrictions, now in force, also include a crackdown on illegal wildlife trade, according to a statement released by the NPC. This could have an immediate positive impact in Africa, particularly related to the trade of endangered species like pangolins, whose populations have been devastated by continuous Chinese demand.