LONDON, June 22 (Reuters) - A group of leading global technology, crypto assets and other companies announced plans on Monday to help curb illicit trade patterns that impact wildlife.

• The announcement came during a business forum held by Prince William and the Royal Foundation's United for Wildlife Trust during Climate Action Week in London.

• Companies including Google, Meta, TikTok and Alibaba have pledged to end illegal trading on their platforms and look for ways to eliminate online advertising, including using artificial intelligence for monitoring and prevention.

• Businesses represent one-fifth of the global e-commerce market and 90 percent of the world’s social media users.

• Vodafone, Vodafone.com and Safaricom will use artificial intelligence in anti-money laundering systems and transaction monitoring across the mobile money platform M-Pesa.

• Cryptocurrency asset analytics firms, blockchain technology companies, and payment companies, including PayPal, TRM Labs, Chain Analysis, and Luno, have pledged to disrupt financial flows associated with the illegal wildlife trade.

• British Airways and Heathrow Airport management said they would launch a public awareness campaign about the trade.

• A report by the United Nations Environment Programme stated that the trade in wildlife products generates up to $23 billion annually. It also estimated that one million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction.

• David Vine, co-chair of United for Wildlife, said, "What we are seeing from the private sector today is a recognition that the illegal wildlife trade is both an environmental and a commercial issue."