Sustainable wildlife management essential for protecting biodiversity

Montreal, 21 October 2014 – Recognizing that wildlife is an important renewable natural resource, with economic, cultural, nutritional and recreational value to humans, Parties at the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 12), held in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, have passed a landmark decision on the sustainable use of biodiversity with regards to bushmeat and sustainable wildlife management.

The decision provides a clear mandate for sustainable wildlife management and will be carried out in tandem with the Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management (CPW), a voluntary partnership of international organizations with substantive mandates and programmes for the sustainable use and conservation of wildlife resources.

“Sustainable management of wildlife is a key issue in the good governance of biodiversity,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, speaking at the fourth meeting of the Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management, held in the margins of COP 12.

The decision encourages Parties to revise their regulatory systems and to strengthen the capacity of indigenous peoples and local communities for sustainable wildlife management as well as to reform incentives that might encourage unsustainable consumption.

The need to address biodiversity as a key element of sustainable development in the post-2015 period has been widely recognised. Sustainable wildlife management provide continuous ecosystem services and income, and contributes to the reduction of poverty. It is the sound management of wildlife species to sustain their populations and habitats over time, taking into account the socioeconomic needs of human populations.

The Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management comprises 14 international organizations, with a Secretariat hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The CPW’s work plan on substantive mandates and programmes includes improving wildlife management through raising awareness and advocating sustainable practices for wildlife for food security and livelihoods, human wildlife conflict and illegal/unsustainable hunting.

At its fourth meeting, CPW partners updated their work plan. One key activity is the development of a Bushmeat Sourcebook. This publication, prepared primarily by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), provides a better understanding of how bushmeat relates to broader socio-economic and conservation issues.

A side event hosted by the CPW, “Wildlife Management in a Landscape Perspective: enhancing biodiversity conservation and supporting livelihoods,” held 13 October 2014, highlighted practical work carried out by CPW members – including the launch of its first joint product and a fact sheet on Sustainable Wildlife Management and Biodiversity. The fact sheet describes key components of wildlife management that can provide incentives to conserve biodiversity.

As part of its next phase of activities, the CPW is developing a project proposal, to be co-funded by the Global Environment Facility, titled “Criteria and Indicators for sustainable wildlife management: a key step towards a global certification system.” Geared towards improving the social, economic, and environmental benefits derived from sustainable wildlife management, countries interested in being a pilot country to test the framework are welcome to contact the Secretariat.