On July 8, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services released a report detailing ways we can use wild species sustainably and avoid long-term decline so that they remain available for future generations.
According to the New York Times, “Billions of people worldwide rely on some 50,000 wild species for food, energy, medicine and income.” This makes finding ways to sustain wildlife even more important, as over one million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction due to human activity.
“Half of humanity benefits from and makes use of wild species, and often without even knowing that they’re doing so,” said Marla R. Emery, one of the co-chairs of the report.
As this report was in part conducted at the request of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, it could directly affect international policy. The convention will use the evidence from the report to influence their verdict regarding trade at their conference in Panama in November.
The report draws on Indigenous and local communities’ practices of sustainable wildlife use, which are crucial to understanding how to prevent a biodiversity crisis. For example, in the hills of the Cordillera region of Luzon, “the entire community mobilizes to protect the forest,” said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, an Indigenous rights activist who grew up in the region. The community has a shared responsibility to protect the forests, such as by planting new trees as the old ones die out.
“If wildlife disappears, our culture is at risk, our lifestyle and our livelihood is at risk,” said Viviana Figueroa, an Argentine Indigenous lawyer and activist.
The report shows that policies controlling wildlife use need to consider whether the benefits of that use are distributed fairly. An example is the trade in vicuña fibers, which are used in high-priced luxury garments and produced by low-income Indigenous communities. These communities practice sustainable wildlife use and therefore keep the trade going by allowing vicuñas to graze on their private land, but it’s practically impossible for them to earn their share of profits by negotiating with textile companies or to put their product on an international market by themselves.
“We have to make sure these policy instruments benefit everybody,” said Emma Archer, a professor at the University of Pretoria in South Africa and one of the assessment’s lead authors.
Other sustainable wildlife use policies the report recommends include reducing unregulated and illegal fishing, supporting more small-scale fisheries, investing in waste-reducing technology in the manufacturing of wood products, and increasing bans or regulations on wild meat in some regions.
It is also important to keep in mind that non-sustainable use of wildlife isn’t the only factor in the biodiversity crisis: climate change caused by human activity is also a major element.
According to the New York Times, “Billions of people worldwide rely on some 50,000 wild species for food, energy, medicine and income.” This makes finding ways to sustain wildlife even more important, as over one million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction due to human activity.
“Half of humanity benefits from and makes use of wild species, and often without even knowing that they’re doing so,” said Marla R. Emery, one of the co-chairs of the report.
As this report was in part conducted at the request of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, it could directly affect international policy. The convention will use the evidence from the report to influence their verdict regarding trade at their conference in Panama in November.
The report draws on Indigenous and local communities’ practices of sustainable wildlife use, which are crucial to understanding how to prevent a biodiversity crisis. For example, in the hills of the Cordillera region of Luzon, “the entire community mobilizes to protect the forest,” said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, an Indigenous rights activist who grew up in the region. The community has a shared responsibility to protect the forests, such as by planting new trees as the old ones die out.
“If wildlife disappears, our culture is at risk, our lifestyle and our livelihood is at risk,” said Viviana Figueroa, an Argentine Indigenous lawyer and activist.
The report shows that policies controlling wildlife use need to consider whether the benefits of that use are distributed fairly. An example is the trade in vicuña fibers, which are used in high-priced luxury garments and produced by low-income Indigenous communities. These communities practice sustainable wildlife use and therefore keep the trade going by allowing vicuñas to graze on their private land, but it’s practically impossible for them to earn their share of profits by negotiating with textile companies or to put their product on an international market by themselves.
“We have to make sure these policy instruments benefit everybody,” said Emma Archer, a professor at the University of Pretoria in South Africa and one of the assessment’s lead authors.
Other sustainable wildlife use policies the report recommends include reducing unregulated and illegal fishing, supporting more small-scale fisheries, investing in waste-reducing technology in the manufacturing of wood products, and increasing bans or regulations on wild meat in some regions.
It is also important to keep in mind that non-sustainable use of wildlife isn’t the only factor in the biodiversity crisis: climate change caused by human activity is also a major element.
