Building a Wildlife Economy - A CITES Animals Committee Side Event

19 July 2024

The 33rd Meeting of the Animals Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is taking place this week in Geneva from 12–19 July 2024.

Composed of animal experts specialising in species subject to CITES controls, the Animals Committee provides technical support on policy and decision-making within the Convention.

For this year’s meeting, the CIC, the African Wildlife Economy Institute (AWEI) and Conservation Visions jointly hosted a side event inviting a diverse range of stakeholders – including speakers from Africa, Europe, the Americas and others – together to discuss and exchange ideas on the wildlife economy.

To expand on the official discussions held on the conference floor, a reception for CITES Animals Committee participants was also hosted later in the evening, providing networking opportunities for those in attendance and a chance to exchange best practices with similarly minded subject matter experts.

“Building a wildlife economy: Sustainable use and conservation of wildlife resources” took place as part of yesterday’s proceedings (June 17th), with the side-event looking to highlight the importance of building a wildlife economy founded on the sustainable use and conservation of wildlife resources, while emphasising the role of the wildlife economy in supporting biodiversity conservation, community livelihoods, and economic growth.

Representatives from government agencies, local communities, indigenous groups and the private sector gathered to share their insights and experiences on the subject matter.

Discussions largely focused on the challenges and opportunities associated with wildlife-based economies, with participants also giving successful examples of innovative approaches to sustainable wildlife management.

Moderating the side-event was Director General of the CIC, Sebastian Winkler, who framed the discussion by outlining the importance of wildlife-based economies as a significant element in environmental conventions and agreements, such as the CBD, CITES and CPW.

Providing the perspective of CITES itself was Ivonne Higuero, Secretary-General of CITES, who noted the significance of building trust between the public and private sectors to enhance sustainable financing in support of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. She emphasised the need for a steady stream of income that maintains wildlife and ecosystem services, as well as the need to scale up such mechanisms.

“We have to stop thinking short-term, we must think in the long term. We must think about future generations. We need to involve governments in the discussions about sustainability and long-term decisions to make sure CITES is sustainable, legal and traceable.”

Dr Francis Vorhies, Director of the African Wildlife Economy Institute (AWEI), then touched on the relevance of the wildlife economy for Africa. He explored the importance of the Global Biodiversity Framework Targets, while giving successful examples of wildlife-based economy models in southern African countries like Kenya, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

It was noted that allowing communities to form authentic community-owned conservancies has the potential to increase the attractiveness of wildlife-based land use for communal land users.

Expanding on this was Dr Michael ‘t Sas-Rolfes, CIC expert on the South African wildlife economy, who spoke about how sustainable wildlife management and trade can contribute to local and national economies in southern Africa.

It was suggested that in order to maximise the full suite of wildlife values over a range of geographies and stakeholders – thereby delivering the greatest socio-economic and conservation outcomes – governments need to work together with appropriately incentivised non-state actors with clearly defined roles and parameters (i.e. industry standards).

Shane Mahoney, consultant to UNEP on Global Wildlife Economy Report, President of the CIC Policy and Law Division and founder of Conservation Visions, then spoke about the Wild Harvest Initiative, the first research programme that aims to evaluate the combined economic, conservation, and social benefits of wild animal harvests in the United States and Canada.

The initiative features a forward-thinking strategy that works within existing social trends to foster alliances with consumptive users of other wild products – such as fruits, berries and fungi – and more generally with healthy lifestyle and green-living advocates. The program not only promotes the wide social, conservation, and economic benefits of hunting and angling but also provides a non-confrontational platform to engage in discussions with non-hunters and non-anglers, and those opposed to traditional sustainable use activities.

Speaking about the wildlife model present in Canada was Carolina Caceres, Director for International Biodiversity at Environment and Climate Change Canada and Chair of CITES Indigenous People and Local Communities Working Group.

It was stated that Canada has an economy that is significantly reliant on natural resources, with sustainable forestry and agriculture an important component of the Canadian economy. Wild fur has also been an important part of Canada’s history, both financially and culturally.

In addition, she brought attention to the Project for Permanence, championing indigenous-led conservation. It was designed to support indigenous leadership in conservation and has shared decision-making to allow for long-term sustainable financing.