Target 5
Ensure Sustainable, Safe and Legal Harvesting and Trade of Wild Species
Ensure that the use, harvesting and trade of wild species is sustainable, safe and legal, preventing overexploitation, minimizing impacts on non-target species and ecosystems, and reducing the risk of pathogen spillover, applying the ecosystem approach, while respecting and protecting customary sustainable use by indigenous peoples and local communities.
Ensure that the use, harvesting and trade of wild species is sustainable, safe and legal, preventing overexploitation, minimizing impacts on non-target species and ecosystems, and reducing the risk of pathogen spillover, applying the ecosystem approach, while respecting and protecting customary sustainable use by indigenous peoples and local communities.
Rationale
GSAP
Overexploitation has depleted the populations of many species and caused local extinctions. Illegal wildlife trade is a multibillion-dollar industry and a threat not only to biodiversity conservation, but also to public health. Ensuring that legal use is sustainable and combatting Illegal wildlife trade are crucial to the persistence of species and the resources on which millions of people depend for food, medicine, building, fuel, and other purposes. The negative public health and economic impacts of zoonotic spillover within the wildlife trade further support enforcement of existing laws and creation of new ones as needed.
GSAP SKILLS
The GSAP actions cover sustainable and legal use and trade, bycatch, and health.
Actions
Primary tools and resources
Guidelines on harvesting threatened species
Societies around the globe harvest wild species, to a greater or lesser extent, for food, building materials, healthcare, medicines, pest control, ornamentation, income, recreation, and cultural and spiritual purposes. While this use of wild species directly contributes to the well-being of billions of people globally, over-exploitation of wild species is one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss. The IUCN Guidelines on harvesting threatened species advise decision-makers on whether, how and what to harvest to ensure the sustainable use of threatened animal, plant and fungal species. Drawing on insights from the IPBES Sustainable Use Assessment, they complement and expand on existing guidance and tools, such as the Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of IUCN Red List Data in Harvesting of Threatened Species and recent CITES guidance on the conduct of Non-Detriment Findings.
Universal Ranger Support Alliance (URSA)
A coalition of conservation organisations supporting and promoting the International Ranger Federation to build a network of well-supported, professional, and capable rangers, who can act effectively as custodians of the natural world. It has produced numerous guidelines and standards of relevance to professionalizing the ranger work-force, including a Code of Conduct, ranger competences, and a document on how rangers support delivery of 30×30. There are 8 organizations URSA can be linked with (for filtering purposes).
International Whaling Commission (IWC) programmes on ocean noise
Anthropogenic ocean noise is identified as one of the priority threats in the Strategic Plan of the IWC Conservation Committee. In 2018, the IWC agreed a Resolution that recognised the increasing concern over ocean noise, and clarified next steps to better understand and manage the threat. In 2022 the IWC endorsed a Workplan on Anthropogenic Ocean Noise. The Scientific Committee is also undertaking research on the impact of noise on cetaceans, and the effectiveness of different approaches to reduce exposure.
One Health Joint Plan of Action (2022–2026)
The One Health Joint Plan of Action was launched by four partners – the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE). This initiative seeks to improve the health of humans, animals, plants, and the environment, while contributing to sustainable development. The One Health Joint Plan of Action was developed through a participatory process and provides a set of activities to strengthen collaboration, communication, capacity building, and coordination across all sectors responsible for addressing health concerns at the human-animal-plant-environment interface.
FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF)
The purpose of 1995 FAO Code of Conduct is to set international standards of behaviour for responsible practices to ensure the effective conservation, management and development of aquatic resources, the ecosystem, and biodiversity. These standards may be implemented at the national, subregional, and regional levels.
WILDMEAT Use Database
The aim of the WILDMEAT Use Database is to ensure that efforts to manage wild meat resources sustainably are based on the best available evidence. The Database holds three types of data, on wild meat consumption, hunting offtakes, and market sales in a standardised format within one database. This allows data from many different sites and studies to be combined and compared, to track changes in wildmeat harvest characteristics and use, and to evaluate the effectiveness of management and policy interventions. Data can be shared under different license agreements, from full open access to access that is dependent on some terms and conditions.
The WILDMEAT Use Database – User Guide provides assistance on using the database, including descriptions of the data structure, metadata descriptions, data limitations, and other useful information. A WILDMEAT Toolkit with guidance on indicators, theories of change, and data collection methods is under development.
How to use
- To WILDMEAT database can be searched through the Database Explorer and the User Guide downloaded at: https://www.wildmeat.org/database/
- The WILDMEAT Toolkit can be accessed at: https://www.wildmeat.org/toolkit/.
- To contribute data and view the options for sharing data contact: info@wildmeat.org.
TRAFFIC Wildlife Trade Portal
The TRAFFIC Wildlife Trade Portal is an interactive tool that displays TRAFFIC’s wildlife seizure and incident database. The results are displayed as a list and as a dashboard, showing, for example, a summary in a chart or on a map. Clicking on individual records shows more in-depth information about a specific incident, such as the species, commodities and locations involved. The results can be exported to CSV format for further analysis. Relevant data or files can be uploaded and checked by TRAFFIC before their inclusion in the Portal.
The Wiki CITES Identification Manual
This new tool has been developed by the CITES Secretariat and the United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) to support CITES Management and Scientific Authorities, Customs officials, and all others involved in implementing and enforcing CITES. It contains six volumes: Mammals, Birds, Reptiles-Amphibians-Fish-Invertebrates, Plants, and Parts and Derivatives (2 volumes).
In addition, over 4000 identification resources are available in different formats.
CITES Virtual College
The CITES Virtual College was launched in 2011 and was developed to strengthen the understanding of CITES by Parties and others involved in its implementation and to increase awareness. During 2024, the Virtual College will be revamped with a new interface and a new set of online training courses. The online platform provides details of Training courses, Training materials, Identification guides, Non-detriment findings, References and tools.
CITES Trade database
The CITES trade database currently holds 7 million records of trade in wildlife and 50,000 scientific names of taxa listed by CITES. It is managed by UNEP-WCMC on behalf of the CITES Secretariat. Trade data can be searched by year, taxon, purpose, or importing / exporting country. The complete database can be downloaded (version 2023.1).
The CITES Trade Database can be queried using the novice querying route (a step by step by wizard) or the expert query route (for those already familiar with CITES trade data).
A Guide to Interpreting Outputs from the UNEP-WCMC CITES Trade Database is available.
Species+
The Species+ website was developed jointly by UNEP-WCMC and the CITES Secretariat to assist Parties to implement CITES, CMS and other multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). Species+ contains information on all species listed in the Appendices of CITES and CMS, other CMS Family listings, and in the Annexes to the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations. The species pages contain information on legal, species names and distribution, Appendix listings, references, and other documentation.
The data can be searched by species, location, or Convention. The “Locations” filter allows a search for a species or group of species occurring in a particular country, territory, or region.
Key species lists can be downloaded in an Excel-ready format as a csv file. The terms of use should be reviewed prior to downloading.
Other tools and resources
Participación de la población en la gestión efectiva del Santuario Nacional Megantoni, mediante acuerdos de conservación, herramienta eficaz para la conservación
La gestión participativa es clave para Santuario Nacional Megantoni (SNM), por ello promueve los acuerdos de conservación (AC), con asociaciones de productores, comunidades nativas y la empresa privada como La Ibérica (empresa chocolatera) y PERHUSA (empresa exportadora de café), con la finalidad de promover la conservación de la biodiversidad del SNM y dinamizar el desarrollo local.
Actualmente se tienen 06 AC, que benefician a 248 familias y estas a su vez retribuyen protegiendo 58 367 ha del SNM y 33 459 ha en la zona de amortiguamiento mediante acciones de vigilancia comunal. El SERNANP acompaña en el proceso, capacita y reconoce a los vigilantes comunales. Las empresas compran el cacao y café a precios justos y hacen uso del sello “Aliado por la Conservación”, certificación que demuestra que los servicios o productos son elaborados bajo un esquema de buen uso y manejo
Sostenibilidad en la pesquería de calamar gigante
La pesquería de calamar gigante en México, ha atravesado en la última década considerables variaciones en sus capturas, debido a la baja disponibilidad asociada a su abundancia, ya que está principalmente condicionada por los efectos del cambio climático y de El Niño (menos abundancia del recurso) y La Niña (el stock tiende a recuperarse). Dadas las fluctuaciones, el sector productivo ha tenido que adaptarse a través de diferentes componentes para continuar aprovechando el recurso de manera sostenible. Las pescadoras y los pescadores se han organizado en un Comité Nacional Sistema Producto, figura reconocida por la LGPAS, que ha permitido trabajar en estrategias tanto a nivel artesanal como industrial, a través de un sistema de monitoreo, sinergias y financiamiento multisectorial por parte del gobierno y academia, así como la integración de la cadena de valor dentro de sus comités estatales.
Aliados por la Conservación
El Servicio Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (SERNANP) por el Estado Peruano, tiene entre sus funciones la administración de 75 Áreas Naturales Protegidas, que representan el 15% del territorio nacional, con el objetivo de conservar su diversidad biológica. Aproximadamente, al rededor de 90 mil personas viven al interior de ANP y 750 mil personas en las zonas de amortiguamiento.
La estrategia de manejo de recursos naturales implementada, tiene como objetivo regular y formalizar el aprovechamiento de recursos de flora y fauna silvestre, para evitar la sobre-explotación de recursos, evidenciar los beneficios de la conservación y generar bienestar a la población local socia de la conservación.
Más de 2000 familias han formalizado el manejo de recursos asumiendo compromisos ambientales, sin embargo la venta de sus productos está mal pagada en el mercado. Para hacer frente a esto, la SERNANP creó la marca, Aliados por la Conservación con el objetivo de diferenciar estos productos y posicionarlos en el mercado.
El Distrito Nacional de Manejo Integrado Yuruparí – Malpelo: Una estrategia con enfoque de paisaje para garantizar la conservación y uso sostenible de los recursos pesqueros y servicios ecosistémicos asociados
Las Áreas Marinas Protegidas juegan un papel clave en el mantenimiento de las pesquerías globales. En su interior, los individuos presentan mayores tallas, hay una mayor densidad y biomasa, así como una mayor riqueza de especies. Estos incrementos también van más allá de los límites del área protegida a través del efecto “desborde”. Con la creación del DMI Yuruparí – Malpelo, se fortalecerá el manejo de las pesquerías de atún y medianos pelágicos, garantizando el mantenimiento del recurso pesquero y los bienes y servicios asociados, contribuyendo a garantizar la seguridad alimentaria del país y la conservación de los recursos pesqueros mediante acciones de planificación y ordenamiento, así como a conservar el patrimonio natural marino del Pacífico Este Tropical aportando a su conectividad ecosistémica. Es una estrategia con enfoque de paisaje de conservación de la biodiversidad local como el SFF Malpelo, y regional como el Área de Recursos Manejados Cordillera de Coiba en Panamá.
La reserve de développement durable Mamirauá – Traivaller avec les communautés autochtones en Amazonie
L’Institut de développement durable Mamirauá a été fondé en 1999 en vue de proposer des connaissances scientifiques, technologiques et novatrices aux communautés de la région de l’Amazonie. Le mandat est exercé avec le plus haut niveau d’éthique et de responsabilité, en respectant les connaissances traditionnelles des habitants.
L’Institut a créé la Réserve de développement durable de Mamirauá. D’une superficie de 1 240 000 hectares, la Réserve abrite la plus grande zone humide de la planète, ce qui la place au premier rang des réserves de développement durable (de catégorie 6 de l’Union internationale pour la conservation de la nature) au Brésil.
Au cours des dernières décennies, la Réserve de développement durable de Mamirauá a été surexploitée par des entreprises privées. C’est pourquoi l’Institut travaille en étroite collaboration avec les communautés locales afin de veiller à l’utilisation durable des ressources halieutiques.
La Red de áreas marinas de pesca responsable de Costa Rica
La red de áreas marinas de pesca responsable es la unión de los diferentes territorios marinos bajo una forma de gobernanza compartida tanto en el Pacífico como en el Caribe costarricense. A través de esta Red, pescadores y pescadoras de toda Costa Rica participan de forma activa en la toma de decisiones referentes a la pesca responsable y la erradicación de la pobreza en las zonas costero-marinas. La Red promueve la acción colectiva de aprendizaje y busca formas de conservación marinas basadas en el respeto de los derechos humanos.
Unselective, unsustainable, and unmonitored trawl fisheries?
In 2016, the term UUU (unselective, unsustainable and unmonitored) fishing was developed and a Resolution of the World Conservation Congress, adopted by Members, tasked IUCN’s Species Survival Commission with reporting on the concept. The resulting situation analysis utilises the trawl fisheries of China, Thailand and Vietnam to explore how some of the issues associated with UUU fishing can be linked back to these three elements. The report found considerable variation in each component of UUU across the case study countries but that uncontrolled fishery development resulting in excess fishing capacity is commonly a root cause, leaving long standing impacts which have proven very challenging to solve. Whilst the report does not provide recommendations for action, it does identify 14 areas where further work would help accelerate progress on sustainable use, the protection of species of conservation concern and help safeguard the marine ecosystem.
Species use database
The Species Use Database (SpUD) has been created by the IUCN Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (SULi) to help address this problem by collecting and synthesising information on the utilization of wild species globally, and specifically on the sustainability of that use.
The database is intended to appeal to a broad spectrum of users, from those in policy and decision-making, to academia and educators, conservation practitioners, civil society and NGOs, as well as any individuals interested and keen to learn more about the use of wild species. The individual records – and the periodic syntheses of these – can be used to guide and feed into sound policies and decision-making, that enhance legal, sustainable, equitable wildlife management practices and draw attention to those that are illegal, unsustainable and inequitable.
WildLabs Conservation Technology Community
WILDLABS is home to the global conservation technology community of 8,600 people in 120 countries discussing 1,500 topics like biologging, camera traps, and machine learning. With engaging spaces to ask questions and collaborate together, share your own work, and discover new ideas and innovations, WILDLABS is your platform to connect with #Tech4Wildlife experts and projects from around the world.
Shell Bank
ShellBank has shown that, with complete Rookery and In-Water databases, we can get an understanding of connected nesting populations, marine stock boundaries and which populations have been impacted by poaching. By comparing across databases it will be possible to accurately trace the population origin, enhance a country’s enforcement efforts against illegal traders, and advance marine turtle conservation at national and regional levels.
IWC Strandings Initiative
The IWC Strandings Initiative was established following a multi-disciplinary expert workshop in 2016. The workshop discussed how best to develop practical guidance on handling cetacean strandings and concluded that an international Strandings Initiative should be established under the auspices of the IWC, incorporating the skills and experiences of strandings experts from a range of different countries around the world.
Interim Guidance on Reducing public health risks associated with the sale of live wild animals of mammalian species in traditional food markets
Traditional food markets, rather than supermarkets, are the norm in many parts of the world. Such markets form part of the social fabric of communities and are a main source of affordable fresh foods for many low-income groups and an important source of livelihoods for millions of urban and rural dwellers worldwide.
Traditional food markets that are regulated by national or local competent authorities and that operate to high standards of hygiene and sanitation are safe for workers and customers.
Significant problems can arise when these markets allow the sale and slaughter of live animals, especially wild animals, which cannot be properly assessed for potential risks – in
areas open to the public. When wild animals are kept in cages or pens, slaughtered and dressed in open market areas, these areas become contaminated with body fluids, faeces and other waste, increasing the risk of transmission of pathogens to workers and customers and potentially resulting in spill over of pathogens to other animals in the market.
Such environments provide the opportunity for animal viruses, including coronaviruses, to amplify themselves and transmit to new hosts, including humans.
Solutions and case studies
Mipez: aplicación movil para pescadores
La aplicación MiPez desarrollada por TNC en 2018, es una herramienta de ciencia ciudadana, que permite a los pescadores de la cuenca del Magdalena registrar sus actividades de pesca. Recopila información de sitios, especies, cantidades, costos y materiales. Permite usarla sin acceso a Internet. Una vez se termina la faena, los pescadores pueden indicar sus capturas a través de una galería de fotos de especies cargadas en la aplicación.
A medida que los pescadores cargan información en MiPez, la aplicación consolida una base de datos con indicadores socioambientales como especies pescadas, tiempos de pesca y sitios relevantes. Estos datos son cruciales para determinar la salud de la cuenca e identificar qué áreas están experimentando disminución en las poblaciones de peces. Además, la información es útil para que las autoridades y las asociaciones locales eviten la sobrepesca e integren los datos de las comunidades dependientes en un análisis más amplio del desarrollo de la cuenca.
Sostenibilidad en la pesquería de almejas y callos
Las pesquerías de almejas y callos tienen un papel muy importante para el bienestar de las comunidades costeras del noroeste de México. Estas pesquerías enfrentan desafíos como sobre-explotación, ilegalidad, mal manejo, falta de información, bajo involucramiento del sector productivo en la toma de decisiones, entre otros. Para afrontar estos retos, en COBI se han implementado diversas herramientas de manejo en colaboración con diferentes actores (comunidades pesqueras, sector de gobierno, academia y organizaciones de la sociedad civil). Estas herramientas incluyen el diseño y adopción de estrategias integrales de aprovechamiento. Además, se ha generado información sistematizada que ayuda a diseñar y evaluar las estrategias de aprovechamiento, identificar los impactos ambientales en la pesquería y, crear sistemas de manejo sostenible para almejas y callos, ya sea a través de procesos formales, por medio de un decreto oficial, o tradicionales, mediante acuerdos comunitarios.
Sostenibilidad en la pesquería de peces
En México, la mayoría de las pesquerías en pequeña escala que capturan peces carecen de monitoreo pesquero y biológico adecuado. Esto deja vacíos de información y dificulta su manejo. También, complica el reconocimiento de dichas pesquerías ante estándares internacionales, así como la existencia de un beneficio social y económico para las pescadoras y los pescadores. Con el fin de lograr una pesca sostenible de la pesquería de peces (excluyendo a los tiburones y rayas) en México, los actores involucrados en esta pesquería se unieron, bajo un esquema de co-manejo y co-financiamiento, que incorpora la igualdad de género, para establecer un monitoreo pesquero que brinde información para generar mejoras en la pesquería y en su manejo. Esto ha posicionado a las pescadoras y los pescadores como pioneros en sostenibilidad pesquera, siendo un ejemplo para muchas otras personas dedicadas a la pesca.
How supporting rangers and capacitating them to screen for disease, poisoning and poaching assisted in diagnosing a novel disease in African elephant
Zimbabwe and its neighboring countries have the largest African Savanna elephant population in the world. Some areas have a plethora of animals and these high densities are concern for diseases, poisoning and poaching. VFWT worked with conservation partners to train ZimParks rangers in North West Zimbabwe on differentiating elephant mortality events to determine natural disease incidents vs. wildlife crime scenes, and how to secure and document a crime scene. This all came to fruition when there started to be a number of elephant mortality events in the region. Through investigation and collection of samples, that were subsequently analyzed in the laboratory a novel disease Bicaard taxon 45 was discovered to be the cause of the mortality event. The disease had not been found in African elephant previously, and as a close relation to Pasturella multocida, was cause for concern as to how the disease would affect elephant species.
SUIVI DES MAMMIFERES AVEC LE CAMERA TRAP DANS LE PARC NATIONAL DE FAZAO MALFAKASSA ET LA RESERVE DE FAUNE D’ABDOULAYE
Une mission de déploiement et d’installation de caméras traps a été effectuée par l’équipe de l’ONG AGBO-ZEGUE dans le parc national Fazao-Malfakassa (PNFM) et la Réserve de Faune d’Abdoulaye du 1er au 10 mars 2021 avec l’appui des conservateurs et écogardes.
En mai 2020, l’ONG AGBO-ZEGUE a bénéficié d’une subvention pour le projet « Contribution à l’amélioration des statuts de conservation des carnivores dans les aires protégées du Togo » financement de l’IUCN Save Our Species et de l’Union Européenne pour établir les preuves scientifiques de la présence des grands carnivores : le lion (Panthera leo) et le léopard (Panthera pardus) au Togo. Ont pris part à cette mission de collecte de données de la présence de ces grands carnivores au Togo, le Directeur Exécutif de l’ONG AGBO-ZEGUE, John Kokou Toviho GAGLO, et les deux assistants techniques du projet, Madame Jeanne Kafui DEKAWOLE et Monsieur Délagnon ASSOU.
Fish Forever in Brazil: Solution for community-based fisheries management
As coastal development increases in Brazil, artisanal fishers struggle to protect their resources. By leveraging the government-created Extractive Reserves’ (RESEXs) legal structure and working with government, local fishers’ organizations, and communities, Rare’s Fish Forever program in Brazil has 1) established community-led governance and authority over artisanal fisheries; 2) designated managed-access fishing areas, combined with no-take reserves; and 3) improved participation of fishers and communitiy members in fisheries management and decision-making.
EcoGourmet: Bringing sustainable fish to your plate
Since 2009, EcoGourmet has enhanced the technical and administrative capacities of artisanal fishing cooperatives and to achieve responsible fishing. EcoGourmet facilitates the signing of fair agreements between suppliers, fishing cooperatives and restaurants and sensitizes consumers to the ramifications of their purchasing decisions. Participating restaurants offer locally sourced, sustainably caught fish. Negative impacts on ecosystems are reduced while profits for local fishers increased.
Sustainable Management of Morocco's Marine Resources
Implementation of an ecosystem-based participatory planning program for the benefit of artisanal fishermen operating in the Mediterranean. Under this program, fishermen were able to identify the challenges posed by illegal trawling and dynamite fishing. The creation of a monitoring committee allowed them to take their part in fighting these threats. Their overall income increased thanks to the commercial management of fishery products in the newly created cooperatives.
Monitoring Fish Landings by Coastal Communities
Lack of data on artisanal fisheries landings is a common element in tropical countries. The Participatory Monitoring Program includes the gathering and synthesis of biological information by organized groups of artisanal fishers. Multi-year data gathered by the fishers is presented and discussed with the community to highlight information on species, minimum sizes, volumes, trends and seasonality in the captures. This process has resulted in significant changes in fishing practices and management.
Strengthening Governance of Small-Scale Fisheries Management
An Ecosystem Approach for Fisheries (EAF) was adopted by municipalities in Misamis Occidental, Philippines, to improve small-scale fisheries management for poverty reduction. They belong to Iligan Bay Alliance of Misamis Occidental (IBAMO), an initiative providing governance frameworks for LGU collaboration. It aims to be a proactive, committed, dynamic alliance for sustainable coastal resource development and seeks to foster the wellbeing of the environment and the people depending on fishing.
“Tagging” fishing vessels to improve compliance and revenue generation
The solution addresses the challenge of how to identify and ensure that legal fishing vessels pay their license fees to district authorities, which are important as they fund fisheries management and enforcement efforts of local government structures. It uses a color coded small plastic zip-lock cable tie to identify licensed vessels, enabling fisheries officers and local community-based structures to determine if a vessel is legal and has paid the relevant fees for a particular district.
Sustainable Fisheries in the Galera-San Francisco Marine Reserve
The Galera-San Francisco Marine Reserve is one of the most important zones for biodiversity conservation in coastal Ecuador. Local residents are heavily dependent on it, with artisanal fishing as a core activity. The fishing association Arte Langosta and the Nazca Institute created a participatory management system which promotes the protection of biodiversity and sustainable local development. Stakeholders and authorities develop an effective governance model with fair economic alternatives.
