Background

Millions of people depend on wild meat for food and income. Wild meat is an important source of protein, fat and micronutrients, particularly for Indigenous Peoples and rural communities in tropical and subtropical regions of Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

Yet, as recalled by Decision 14/7 adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity: “Unprecedented extraction rates cause the decline of numerous wildlife populations and endanger foundation species critical to the functioning of ecosystems. Illegal and unregulated harvesting, increased hunting pressure, alongside rising rates of habitat destruction and conversion in tropical forest regions, make it highly likely that wild meat supplies in some tropical and subtropical countries will diminish”. Moreover, recent studies have shown that overhunting for food is now threatening hundreds of wildlife species with extinction.

To address the above-mentioned challenges, the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme was launched in 2017. It is an Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) initiative, which is funded by the European Union (EU) with co-funding from the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) and the French Development Agency (AFD). The SWM Programme is implemented through a consortium partnership, which includes the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

The SWM Programme is currently being implemented at sites in 15 countries. The initiative works with and supports national authorities, local institutions and rural communities, both at local level (project sites) and at the national level. The goal is to develop innovative and scalable models, which conserve wildlife and protect ecosystems, whilst at the same time improving the living conditions, health, and food security of the people who depend on these resources. The SWM Programme also seeks to prevent zoonotic pathogens spillover along wild meat value chains.

The SWM Programme is the first and largest wild meat initiative of its kind that is addressing the interconnected issues of wildlife conservation, food security and zoonotic risks.

Proposed side event

This side event will explore participatory opportunities to promote sustainable solutions to wild meat consumption in different contexts. The SWM Programme will present the progress being made towards the implementation of the Decision 14/7 on sustainable wildlife management and the Voluntary Guidance for a sustainable wild meat sector adopted by CoP14. The discussions will be enriched by the SWM Programme initial work on the development of indicators that measure sustainability, legality and safety of harvest, use and trade in wild species (across all taxa). This includes species hunted for their meat.

Event objectives:

1. Raise awareness about the importance of sustainable wildlife management, and particularly sustainable wild meat sector, to achieve biodiversity conservation as well as human well-being and health at local, national and global levels;
2. Showcase the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme contribution to the implementation of relevant CBD strategic framework and decisions to ensure safe and sustainable use of wildlife for meat by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, particularly in the tropics and subtropics. 

Expected outcomes:

1. The 14/7 decision on sustainable wildlife management and associated voluntary guidelines on sustainable wild meat sector is highlighted, and the experiences and best practices are shared and promoted;
2. The SWM Programme approach, tools, evidence-based lessons learned, and recommendations are shared to support parties to the CBD and their partners to effectively implement the CBD 14/7 decision, and more broadly the CBD Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2021-2030 and the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, in particular Targets 5 and 9*.

* As per draft 1 of post 2020 Global biodiversity framework: “Target 5 - Ensure that the harvesting, trade and use of wild species is sustainable, legal, and safe for human health” ; “Target 9 - Ensure benefits, including nutrition, food security, medicines, and livelihoods for people especially for the most vulnerable through sustainable management of wild terrestrial, freshwater and marine species and protecting customary sustainable use by indigenous peoples and local communities.”

Proposed agenda for a moderated panel discussion:

1.       Introduction to the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme, EU DG-INTPA representative (TBD)

2.       Progress towards the CoP14 Decision 14/7 from the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme:

2.1   Addressing effectively the sustainable wild meat challenge: One-Health, community-based approaches and M&E, SWM Programme partners representative / partner government representative (TBD)

2.2   Managing and improving the sustainability of wild meat supply at the source – SWM Programme partners representative / partner government representative (TBD)

2.3   Reducing demand for unsustainably managed and/or illegal wild meat in cities and towns - SWM Programme partners representative / partner government representative (TBD)

2.4   Creating the enabling conditions for a legal, regulated and sustainable wild meat sector - SWM Programme partners representative / partner government representative (TBD)

3.       Moderated panel discussion on the SWM Programme contribution to the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, with a focus on targets 5 and 9

4.       Concluding remarks and recommendations, OACPS Secretariat representative (TBD)