Certifying sustainable use of wild species

Webinar recording

Products like baobab fruit are harvested only in the wild because cultivation is not feasible and they can therefore be promoted for their positive, non-destructive environmental impact while providing an income to rural harvesters. Certification schemes would assure consumers of the environmental and social sustainability of these products and should therefore be promoted by the Government and the private sector. For example, B’Ayoba, the major supplier of baobab products in Zimbabwe, has achieved Fairwild Certification to assure consumers that its products are sustainably and ethically harvested. 

(ZBE Report, p84)

An eco-labelling and certification scheme, which grants recognition to safari operators and other players who conduct ethical hunting, would also help to improve perceptions of hunting… Such measures could take social sustainability into consideration, by recognizing hunting operations which make a significant contribution to the livelihoods of people living in or around hunting areas. 

(ZBE Report, p46)