Conservation Visions: Influencing Sustainable Use Policy Change for the Better

Influencing Policy Change for the Better:

How Conservation Visions affects sustainable-use activities at home and abroad

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

To tackle climate change, preserve biodiversity on Earth, and maintain our natural heritage, stakeholders from around the globe have recognized the need to work together. This has resulted in the formation of many international organizations and legally binding agreements since the 1940s, including the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). These entities and processes operate in most countries, including Canada and the United States. Decisions made at the international level influence, or even mandate, regional and domestic policies. Governments look to these organizations for science and policy advice, are legally obligated to implement international policy, and are influenced by global trends.

The sustainable use of natural resources harbors the extremes of support and antagonism. While sustainable use activities such as commercial fishing and logging are strongly positioned to represent themselves and self advocate on the global stage, the recreational hunting, fishing, and foraging community is disadvantaged by its relatively small size, lack of financial resources, and lack of a global spokes entity. Nonetheless, whether the recreational sustainable use community effectively participates in international discussions, decisions made at the international level strongly impact and, in some instances determine, recreational sustainable use activities in North America and other regions.

Increased engagement by the recreational hunting and harvesting communities with international institutions and programs is, therefore, of critical importance, if our voices are to be heard and if we wish to positively influence the debates and decisions that will ultimately help decide the future of sustainable use activities in North America, and by North Americans in other parts of the world.

Conservation Visions has very strong connections in the international conservation and sustainable use community, including among policy and decision makers. We engage with global entities and actively participate in the forums and processes that set the stage for wildlife and other natural resource use activities. The Wild Harvest Initiative® (WHI®) is one mechanism for engagement that has already proven itself as credible and effective, both in terms of showcasing the modern relevance of wild, natural harvests and supporting increased advocacy for sustainable use conservation. It is an ideal vehicle to demonstrate the utility of implementing the uniquely successful North American Model of Wildlife Conservation in other parts of the world. Conservation Visions intervenes on behalf of the WHI® Partnership Alliance, ensuring that our Partners’ sustainable use priorities and concerns are recognized and considered at the highest levels. We also provide partners with updates and advice on global policy trends.

This information note is intended to highlight for Conservation Visions’ colleagues and partners the importance of eight international entities, and how Conservation Visions engages with these entities, as well as the potential for Conservation Visions to offer increased client services.

This strategy to protect and expand support for sustainable wildlife use, while raising global awareness of the North American Model, is vital to the future of recreational hunting, fishing, and foraging, at home and abroad.

Part 1: The Importance of Engaging on the International Stage

Introducing the need for the sustainable use community to effectively engage in international discussions to promote sustainable use activities in North America and abroad

INTRODUCTION

We live in a global village, one in which distant values and perceptions come to weigh on local cultures, often in intrusive ways. This global visioning also means, however, that domestic initiatives now encounter unprecedented opportunity to engage and influence global debates. The dynamics of these debates and their key influencers change over time, however; and emergent opportunities are just that: emergent. Seizing the moment is critical to seizing the day.

While the sustainable use community writ large is reasonably well positioned to engage proportionately in global debates (think commercial fisheries or forestry), the recreational hunting community, domestic and international, is disadvantaged by its relatively small size, its lack of a global spokes entity and its lack of financial resources and coordination.

Being effective at defending or promoting sustainable recreational harvesting activities requires knowing who the players are and where the debate is headed. It also requires finding footing in established contexts, determining the trends in societal positions, establishing relevance, and aligning with influential narratives, as much as possible, and with constructive allies.

Conservation Visions recognizes the importance of engaging in key meetings and decision making processes with those international entities of direct relevance to wild harvest and has dedicated significant efforts over the last 5+ years to establish a meaningful

presence within the international arena on behalf of its partners. This is a long term strategy. It includes engaging with established entities that focus on the regulatory frameworks around wild harvesting activities, but it emphasizes international policy initiatives that are actively advancing the conversation in support of these activities. Exploring the congruencies (and divergencies) among these entities is a crucial aspect of defining how best to engage with them. Each initiative has its own unique mandate.

Among these international efforts, some of the most influential include: (1) the International Union for the Conservation of Nature; (2) the Convention on Biological Diversity, and (3) its Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice; (4) the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services; (5) the Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management; (6) the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals; (7) the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; and, (8) the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This list is not meant to be exclusive; however, those listed here, collectively, demonstrate significant linkages that make engaging with them an efficient and highly productive proposition.

Engagement by North American and other regional hunting and harvesting communities with these institutions and programs is of critical importance if our

voices are to be heard and if we wish to positively influence these impactful international decision making processes that will ultimately affect our future. Being left out of these discussions will prove a decidedly disadvantageous strategy. It cannot be stressed enough that all these efforts currently support, in some cases strongly, and certainly do not, in any instance, explicitly oppose, sustainable use activities, including hunting, in some or all its forms. This network is a rare commodity bundle in the contentious world of public debate over sustainable wildlife use.

Effectively engaging across these entities, however, is a complex and resource consuming process, and finding the right platform or issue by which to engage in these discussions is crucial. Being an observer is not enough. One must be an informed participant. Further, to be relevant, one’s platform or issue must fit within the existing context of those global conservation priorities that are most relevant to the missions of the

organizations in question. The mandates of the organizations cannot easily be changed. However, their awareness of issues that fall within their mandates can be enhanced. By doing so, the mandates and influence of these global processes can then be applied to public, legislative and policy debates relevant to the region and issue at hand.

This information note is intended to highlight for Conservation Visions’ colleagues and partners the importance of each of the eight international entities listed above, and their relevance to the sustainable use community in North America and beyond. It is also intended to communicate Conservation Visions’ engagements with these entities on behalf of the Wild Harvest Initiative® Partnership Alliance and to generate interest and discussion more widely about next phase efforts on how to best position recreational wild harvest activities within current international dialogues.

GLOBAL SITUATIONAL RELEVANCE OF THE WILD HARVEST INITIATIVE®

Understanding the importance of wild meat harvesting to human food security, cultural resilience, livelihoods, and economies is now a priority for many international scientific, social, and political institutions. International interest in wild harvest activities arose, significantly, from concerns over biodiversity losses attributable to unregulated harvesting for subsistence and commercial purposes. As a result, international organizations are seeking best practice examples of sustainable wild meat harvesting in one region or culture that may be helpful in designing or modifying practices in another.

There is now a rare appetite for discussing recreational harvesting in a much wider context than just personal recreational interests and the associated ethical and moral debates that pertain to them. This new opportunity provides recreational harvesters an opportunity to legitimately join in the international debate over hunting, for example, in all its forms, in terms relevant to culture and biodiversity and to do so

in a pro active, non defensive manner. But how can the recreational hunting constituency legitimately engage in this wild meat focused policy discussion? How can they establish relevance and what narrative can they interject?

One platform that is uniquely and timely positioned to empower the hunting community with a relevant voice is the Wild Harvest Initiative® (WHI®). As a data driven research and communications program, the WHI® is effectively equipped to provide relevant, accurate analyses of the combined conservation, economic, and social (including food) significance of sustainable wild meat harvests in the United States and Canada. Until now, relevant international efforts have focused almost exclusively on the study of subsistence wild meat harvests in tropical and sub tropical regions. We believe, however, that modern wild meat harvests in temperate regions, such as North America and Europe, should be studied alongside these other regions, and

that the North American circumstance is likely to provide valuable insights and help guide solutions to address unsustainable wild meat harvests in other parts of the world.

The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation provides an empirically supported, good practice example of how incentivizing environmental stewardship can produce positive gains in biodiversity

and ecosystem services. In this regard it shares certain common properties with hunting practices elsewhere. Building, in its first strategic phase upon this North American experience, the WHI® is communicating these benefits to bolster international support and acceptance of sustainable wildlife use and, further, to demonstrate that wild meat harvesting for human consumption is, indeed, a global phenomenon.

Part 2: International Entities and Processes

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a democratic union representing the world’s largest environmental network. It was created in 1948 and has of over 1500 member organizations, including governmental organizations, NGOs, private companies and Indigenous Peoples organizations, and over 18,000 volunteer experts. Members meet every four years at the IUCN World Conservation Congress to discuss conservation related issues on the global stage with diverse stakeholders. The IUCN is active in over 160 countries and is currently the global authority on the natural world and conservation.

The IUCN is widely known for its IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, which represents the most comprehensive data source on global extinction risk of species; however, it does much more than this. The IUCN provides science, policy, and legal advice to its members to promote the conservation, and the sustainable and equitable use, of nature. The IUCN creates accords, global standards and moratoria, and helps implement national conservation legislation, policies, and practices. The IUCN also has observer status at the UN, manages thousands of field projects around the world, and played a key role in developing the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

IUCN Mission:

The IUCN has six commissions which each represent a specialized group of experts that provide the IUCN and its members with science and policy advice. The Species Survival Commission focusses on conserving biodiversity. It consists of a variety of task forces, committees and authorities which together develop policies and guidelines and provide advice to member organizations. The Commission on Environment, Economic and Social Policy conducts research, promotes holistic approaches to conservation and provides policy advice to member institutions to balance the conservation of nature with the economic and social demands of human society. These two commissions formed the IUCN Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (SULi) in a joint initiative dedicated to providing technical advice on sustainable use activities, based on how these activities impact human health and wellbeing.

SULi consists of over 300 experts from science, policy, and practice sectors. It focusses on promoting the sustainable use of wild resources, including hunting, fishing, and wildlife trade, to meet the cultural, economic and social needs of human societies. SULi North America is a branch of SULi that aims to inform the sustainable use of wild resources, including recreational hunting, for the benefit of human livelihoods and conservation in North America.

More information on the IUCN can be found at https://www.iucn.org/about and SULi can be found at https://www.iucn.org/commissions/commission environmental economic and social policy/our work/sustainable use and livelihoods

Introducing eight important international processes and entities that influence sustainable use activities in North America and abroad

CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

“Influence, encourage and assist societies to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.”

CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a legally binding international treaty, which came into effect in 1993. The role of the Convention is to identify key problems associated with biological diversity, determine appropriate goals for addressing these problems, facilitate technical cooperation and organize financial support. The ultimate implementation and achievement of established goals rest with member parties, of which there are presently 196. This includes 195 countries and the European Union. Canada and the United States are both signatories and are thus legally obligated to observe and implement the actions and decisions made by the Convention.

As part of their commitment to the convention, governments are required to establish national biodiversity action plans and strategies, and subsequently report on how they are meeting their goals. The Convention also calls on countries to respect, maintain, and preserve traditional knowledge on the sustainable use of biological diversity and to involve Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in this effort.

The CBD represents the most significant global effort for the conservation of biodiversity. One of its underlying tenets is the understanding that we must meet human needs through equitable and sustainable use of wildlife and other natural resources. Importantly, in November 2018, during the fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, Parties agreed on specific elements and principles to facilitate a comprehensive and participatory process to develop the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), thus fostering the engagement of all relevant stakeholders in an

inclusive and transparent consultative process. The Post 2020 GBF, planned for adoption during the second phase of the upcoming fifteenth Conference of the Parties in May 2022, will provide a path forward for biodiversity use and conservation once the 2011 2020 Strategic Framework for Biodiversity and its Aichi Targets expire.

The Post 2020 GBF will contain a set of principles to guide its implementation, an organization of work, and a comprehensive consultative process. It takes a broad view to enabling the achievement of the Convention’s 2050 Vision of “Living in Harmony with Nature” and specifically embraces sustainable use as one effective means of doing so. The consultative process is being conducted by the CBD Secretariat with the guidance and lead of the co chairs of the CBD’s Open Ended Intersessional Working Group on the Post 2020 GBF. This working group is dedicated to leading the negotiations to establish the post 2020 GBF, which represents an essential document of critical relevance to hunting’s future.

More information on CBD can be found here: https://www.cbd.int.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) established in its Article 25, the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA). This advisory body serves a critical function in providing recommendations to the CBD Conference of Parties (COPCBD), which represents the fundamental authority for the Convention. Much of the guidance provided by SBSTTA is taken up either in full or in modified form by the COPCBD, ultimately transforming SBSTTA recommendations into formalized CBD decisions.

SBSTTA is multidisciplinary and welcomes participation from all CBD Parties. In its research, SBSTTA gathers contributions and expertise from a variety of sources on issues related to sustainable wildlife management (including hunting), which inform discussions that take place during their formal meetings, held annually. This

schedule was determined by the COPCBD so that there would be two meetings of SBSTTA between each COPCBD meeting.

More information on SBSTTA can be found here: https://www.cbd.int/sbstta.

The Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) was established in 2012 as an independent intergovernmental body with the goal of strengthening the science policy connection for biodiversity and ecosystem services.

While IPBES is similar to SBSTTA in that it conducts research and provides science and policy advice, IPBES is not under the jurisdiction of any one entity. Through its work, the IPBES platform is designed to support the sustainable use and conservation of biological diversity; promote sustainable development; and ensure overall human wellbeing. Research and policy advice emanating from IPBES is highly regarded by governments and organizations across the globe and is frequently used to inform a wide

range of international processes, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

IPBES currently has 134 Member States. In addition, many other organizations and groups participate formally in IPBES processes as observers and numerous experts from all over the world contribute to its work.

IPBES is preparing a thematic assessment on the sustainable use of wild species, which is expected to be of direct relevance to SBSTTA and CBD conversations, generally, and specifically in relation to the sustainable

wild meat sector.

More information on IPBES can be found here: https://ipbes.net/about

Bringing together fourteen of the most widely recognized international conservation organizations and focusing exclusively on issues in support of the sustainable use and conservation of wildlife, the Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management (CPW) represents, potentially, along with the Convention on Biological Diversity, the most significant collective effort to directly support and promote sustainable use practices at the international level.

CPW’s aim is to improve coordination and cooperation on sustainable wildlife management in order to encourage the sustainable use and conservation of wildlife resources (specifically terrestrial vertebrates) in all geographic zones. CPW recognizes that when wildlife is sustainably managed, it can provide income and nutrition to people; support human and environmental health; and contribute to poverty alleviation.

CPW regularly offers research and advice to inform international decision making processes related to the sustainable use of wildlife, including discussions occurring within CBD/SBSTTA. More information on CPW can be found here: https://www.iucn.org/commissions/commission environmental economic and social policy/our work/specialist group sustainable use and livelihoods suli/hunting and sustainable wildlife management/collaborative partnership.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a legally binding treaty of the United Nations Environment Programme. It regulates the international legal trade of 37,000 species of plants and animals. By regulating international trade, CITES works to facilitate the conservation and sustainable use of protected species. There are currently 183 member parties, including Canada and the United States.

International wildlife trade is worth billions of dollars and involves trading species themselves, or the products derived from species. Without CITES, the international trade of wildlife would be unregulated. There are 183 parties to the convention which all enter into a legally binding agreement to enact domestic legislation to ensure that the goals of CITES are implemented.

Importantly, the regulation of international trade does not imply that trade is questionable or prohibited. In fact, over 15 million trades of CITES listed species have been recorded since 1975 For a CITES listed species to be traded, however, the trade must be legal, sustainable, and traceable. CITES recognizes that sustainable use is important for local economies and livelihoods and is often the best option to ensure the conservation of species. To achieve its goals, CITES collaborates with various other processes, conventions, intergovernmental agencies, and NGOs, including the CBD and IPBES. For example, CITES is working with the CBD to determine how the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework can be used to improve

sustainable wildlife trade and how CITES can contribute to broader conservation objectives.

This international convention is of particular interest to recreational hunters who travel abroad to hunt, as the importation of any game meat or animal part is largely regulated by CITES. The regulations of CITES include transport permits and quotas, which ensure that illegal trade in protected species is prohibited, and the legal harvest of protected species is sustainable.

CITES lists species under three appendices. Appendix 1 contains species that are faced with extinction and CITES employs strict regulations on their trade. Appendix 2 contains species that are not yet threatened with extinction but could become so due to their exploitation. It could also be species whose harvest may inadvertently impact endangered species. Appendix 3 contains species that are protected in at least one country that requested help from CITES in order to regulate international trade.

regulating international trade,

As a treaty of the United Nations, CITES operates similarly to CBD. The Conference of the Parties to CITES is the primary decision making body. There are two scientific committees, one for plants and one for animals, which provide scientific and technical advice to inform decision making. The secretariat is appointed by the United Nations and oversees organization of the

conference, communicating with the parties and other organizations, and ensuring that the mandates of the conventions are respected.

More information on CITES can be found here: https://cites.org/eng

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) is also a treaty of the United Nations Environment Programme, like CBD and CITES. It provides a global platform to promote the conservation and sustainable use of migratory species and their habitats.

CMS protects species listed in its appendices with legally binding agreements, or memoranda of understanding. Appendix 1 lists species that are threatened with extinction and CMS strictly prohibits the taking of these animals. Appendix 2 lists species that are of concern and the CMS implements policies to improve their management. CMS is comprised of 132 parties, and while Canada and the United States are not signatories, they participate as observers and can sign agreements of the convention to protect species relevant to them.

The Conference of the Parties to the CMS (COPCMS) meets every three years and is the principal decision making body. CMS also consists of a Scientific Council that conducts research and makes recommendations to

parties, develops agreements, and stimulates and supports research.

CMS conducts research to determine the threats to migratory species and creates policy considering this scientific research. Therefore, research and policy decisions can involve both recreational and subsistence hunting as they relate to the conservation of migratory species. However, CMS recognizes that sustainable use activities are intimately related to human health and wellbeing and strives to make informed policy decisions by considering the impact that policies would have on the sustainable use community.

More information on CMS can be found here: https://www.cms.int/.

The CMS provides a global platform to support:

1. The conservation of migratory species and their habitats.

UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

The rights and cultural resilience of Indigenous Peoples has become an issue of global importance. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) is a General Assembly Declaration, which serves as a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity, wellbeing, and rights of the world’s Indigenous populations.

Recent findings on the state of global natural resources have revealed that the world’s 476 million Indigenous Peoples hold or manage more than one quarter of the world’s land surface, spanning 90 different countries. Furthermore, areas managed or held by Indigenous Peoples are less inclined to be significantly altered by human activities than other areas, and much of this land is used for hunting by both Indigenous and non Indigenous Peoples.

Given these findings, it is not surprising that an overarching theme in all global conversations related to sustainable use is the need to integrate perspectives of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs). As the leading global framework guiding relations with Indigenous Peoples, UNDRIP is an essential process for anyone involved in issues related to sustainable use and conservation. This includes all of the foregoing processes, conventions and institutions.

participation from IPLCs in the achievement of established biodiversity goals and targets; SBSTTA is expected to consult with IPLCs in their research related to sustainable use and conservation; CPW, CMS and IPBES have all recognized the importance of including Indigenous voices in their conversations (IPBES also developed a Task Force on Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems); and CITES recently established its own Working Group on IPLCs

Beyond the efforts of these five entities, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) itself has also taken steps to incorporate the views and considerations of IPLCs in their decision making processes, beginning with the presentation of a global agenda of Indigenous priorities for conservation action during the 2021 World Conservation Congress, held in Marseille, France. For organizations wishing to influence the global debate over sustainable use, positive engagements with IPLCs are considered essential.

More information “An IUCN Indigenous Peoples Self Determined Strategy” can be found here: https://www.iucn.org/sites/dev/files/content/docume nts/iucn_ipo_strategy english_ _final.pdf

More information on UNDRIP can be found here:

INTERCONNECTIVITY OF GLOBAL ENTITIES

The entities introduced above, represent distinct organizations and processes, but are also highly interconnected. These connections range from formal partnership agreements mediated by the Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management (CPW) to consultations on specific projects and initiatives. This collaboration enables global entities to work together in the ultimate achievement of global

conservation and sustainable use goals. The figure below illustrates several important interlinkages In addition to the entities described above, the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC), International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC), and Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) are also included and play important roles individually and within CPW

Figure 1. Summary of connections between international entities and processes that influence sustainable use activities in North America and abroad.

Conservation Visions’ International Engagement

INFLUENCE

Conservation Visions is committed to building a world where the sustainable use of natural resources, including wild fauna and flora, is safeguarded through knowledge, and where governments and international policymakers formulate sound decisions concerning conservation and biodiversity based on the best knowledge and local experience. Where it differs from many other organizations in this policy space, is that Conservation Visions equally emphasizes empathy and respect for wild animals and is overtly supportive of reasonable animal welfare policies and positions. Where it further differs is that is has recognized leadership in developing, defining,

latter credentials are valued relevancy propositions for wider conservation policy engagement, domestically and internationally.

promoting

North American

Combined with strategic engagement with international entities and processes, Conservation Visions thus holds a unique position from which to highlight the benefits of recreational hunting and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, and thereby influence international conservation policy and protect sustainable use activities in North America and abroad. On the global stage, Conservation Visions has five objectives:

To effectively achieve these objectives, Conservation Visions has carefully designed and established several avenues of engagement with the international conservation community. Conservation Visions’ international engagement is described below and summarized in Figure 2

1. Distinct roles and responsibilities within the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as an official delegate to Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA); Global Vice Chair of IUCN’s Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (SULi); Chair of SULi North America; and lead role for administrating SULi membership and communication worldwide and moderating SULi’s international discussion forums

2. Membership in and IUCN representative to the Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management (CPW)

3. Collaboration, via the WHI, with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC) on sustainable wild meat harvesting

4. Engagement with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), specifically regarding efforts involving Indigenous communities in British Columbia, Canada

5. Formal engagement in scientific support to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) via SBSTTA and the Wild Harvest Initiative® (WHI®)

6.

International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Intersessional Working Group on CITES and Livelihoods, and the Intersessional Working Group on Engagement with Indigenous Peoples and Local and Rural Communities

7. Formal appointment to the position of President of Policy and Law for Europe’s International Union for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) and International Liaison and Fellow of North America’s Wildlife Society (TWS)

8. Collaboration with the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) to assist with development of conservation policy, specific projects, and fieldwork through formal partnership agreements with the CIC

9. Engagement with the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) as a nominated expert reviewer to ongoing IPBES assessments, and contribution of select WHI® data

This international engagement is carefully designed to position Conservation Visions to reach its objectives. The work involves active participation in international meetings and discussion forums; frequent involvement, sometimes in a leadership capacity, in drafting and reviewing legislative and policy documents; engagement with other experts to develop formal positions in support of sustainable use globally; strategic engagement to produce communications materials and outreach initiatives to influence public, professional, and government audiences; and

THE INFLUENCE OF GLOBAL TRENDS ON SUSTAINABLE USE IN NORTH AMERICA

Policy decisions made at the global level affect sustainable use activities in Canada and the United States (US): Canada and the US are legally obligated to observe and implement the decisions made by various international conventions, national policy is informed by the advice of international entities, and national policy is also influenced by global trends. Therefore, it is critical to effectively engage with these entities and processes to ensure that international policies and agreements that impact North America are informed by North American perspectives.

The One Health approach is one example of a global policy that is growing in importance and influencing global conservation strategies. The approach was highlighted during the SARS outbreak and further emphasized following the emergence of several other diseases that are also contracted from animals (“zoonotic” diseases), and have devastating impacts on human health (e.g., H1N1 and COVID 19). The One Health approach operates on the foundation that human health is intimately connected to the health of ecosystems and animals. Ecosystem alteration, including changes in land use, intensification of agriculture and urbanization, is a principal driver of zoonotic diseases. The One Health approach emphasizes the need for diverse disciplines, including ecology and wildlife management, to work together for the goal of improving human health. The approach has been accepted by numerous international organizations including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). Unfortunately, zoonotic disease outbreaks can lead to restrictive and uninformed policies surrounding wildlife use. Therefore, the need to communicate the positive role the sustainable use community plays in wildlife monitoring, human wildlife conflict mitigation and biodiversity

conservation, to enhance the One Health approach, is extremely important.

Another relevant international policy example is the “30 by 30” movement. Various international organizations and processes have acted in favor of an ambitious goal to target climate change and biodiversity loss by conserving 30% of the world’s oceans and land by 2030. In a draft of the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, this goal of conserving 30% of the world’s oceans and land by 2030 was officially stated and is to be formally signed by parties at the next meeting of the CBD (Kunming, China, April 25 th May 8th , 2022). Well ahead of this formal process, however, Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, pledged to achieve the 30 by 30 target in a September 2020 statement, and President Joe Biden also committed the US to this goal in an executive order signed in May 2021 It is vitally important to ensure that the implementation of the 30 by 30 initiative results in conservation agendas that respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) and are also supportive of the wider sustainable use community.

The cross cutting relevance of IPLCs, which are viewed as primary stakeholders in biodiversity conservation, represents an expanding aspect of Conservation Visions’ work. This IPLC focus relates to international engagements, to domestic engagements with international significance, and very directly to Conservation Visions’ WHI® program, especially as a vehicle to support and recommend sustainable wildlife management as a central platform for biodiversity conservation. From a North American sustainable use advocacy perspective, it is incredibly important to link recreational hunting in the US and Canada to harvests by IPLCs in those two countries and around the world. This has proven a logical and more conversant way to demonstrate the normalcy and wider utility, as well as the cultural and historical significance of wild animal harvests to the global non hunting public.

THE WILD HARVEST INITIATIVE®: A POWERFUL TOOL TO ENGAGE IN INTERNATIONAL DISCUSSIONS

In draft Decision XIV/7 on Sustainable Wildlife Management, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) welcomed voluntary guidance for a sustainable wild meat sector. This guidance, however, was intended to focus only on some areas of “terrestrial tropical and subtropical habitat, biomes, and ecosystems.” This meant that the United States and Canada, and potentially other more temperate locales, would be excluded from the review, though all regions, including North America, would be subject to its recommendations and policy outcomes regarding animal use globally.

Conservation Visions introduced the Wild Harvest Initiative (WHI®) to the international wildlife community in 2018 in a special session of the Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management’s (CPW) 2nd Wildlife Forum, organized during the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP14), in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. This represented the culmination of a two year effort to bring the WHI® to global recognition and use it as a vehicle to encourage inclusion of this North American example in CBD’s formal review of wild meat harvests and conservation outcomes worldwide.

Conservation Visions’ presentation of the WHI® and the related North American system of wildlife conservation was effective. Forum participants, which included representatives from CBD’s leadership, as well as from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the International Trade Centre (ITC), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and a number of state governments, voiced their support for the program and for the expansion of CBD’s voluntary

guidance for a sustainable wild meat sector to include temperate regions.

Subsequently, the draft CBD Decision was revised to include a formal request by the CBD to its Executive Secretary for “identification of areas that may require complimentary guidance and exploration of the applicability of such guidance (on sustainable wild meat harvesting) to other geographical areas, other species and other uses” (para. 9).

This was a significant shift, moving from a “tropics only” focus to a global one. It provided a unique opportunity for increased engagement with the CBD and the broader international sustainable use review process, which includes the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). It also provided a unique opportunity to showcase the relevant history of the North American experience when it comes to wild animal harvesting for food. From an international perspective, that the United States and Canada successfully developed a system where sustainable wild meat harvesting is part of a proven biodiversity conservation mechanism and a basis for human livelihoods, remains largely unknown. Yet, wild meat harvesting is at the crux of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. Conservation Visions is working to communicate this success to countries and institutions around the world, and to provide the North American conservation success as an example to be emulated, where, and as far, as possible, by other regions.

Following CBD CoP14, Conservation Visions began work to have the WHI® officially recognized for consideration in international policy decisions. To this end, Conservation Visions worked with CPW and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to organize the “Consultative Workshop on Sustainable Wildlife Management Beyond 2020”. The workshop was attended by members of the

Cambridge Conservation Initiative, one of the largest clusters of conservation organizations in the world, and the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Secretariat. Next, Conservation Visions worked with CPW to organize the event, “Sustainable Harvest and Trade of Wild Meat” held during CITES Conference of the Parties 18. This event provided another excellent opportunity to present the WHI® and the North American Model as a case study example to international policy makers.

In September 2019, the CBD’s Executive Secretary submitted a report to the Parties of the CBD on Actions Taken Pursuant to Decision XIV/7. This report officially identified the WHI® as an example of the “complimentary guidance” required by CBD to support its review of wild meat harvests and, further, requested a discussion of the program be provided to CBD as an Information Document for the 23rd Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA)

Conservation Visions submitted the requested Information Document, Methodological Approaches and Initial Data Projections for the North American Wild Harvest Initiative, to SBSTTA 23 in November 2019. The report was made available online following SBSTTA 23, and can be found here: https://www.cbd.int/doc/c/dfef/f7d6/e70e24d4d67f6b 1815895e5e/sbstta 23 inf 20 en.pdf.

Conservation Visions also provided an academic poster to SBSTTA 23, Exploring Sustainable Wild Meat Harvests in Canada and the United States, which spoke to the international relevance of the program This also showcased the program’s utility as a vehicle to broaden the international discussion of sustainable wildlife management to include North America. Shane Mahoney was also a panelist for an event organized by the CPW, titled “Wildlife Conservation and Sustainable Wildlife Management.” This provided an opportunity to encourage deeper integration of sustainable wildlife management issues with the Post 2020 GBF and to discuss important linkages between sustainable wild meat harvests and human livelihoods, especially as this relates to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.

Further, during the same SBSTTA 23 meeting, which was held in Montreal, Canada, Conservation Visions was the identified as lead for representing IUCN in future SBSTTA meetings on agenda items pertaining to sustainable use. This provides an important opportunity to engage with diverse IUCN policy experts as well as Parties to the CBD on the wider cultural and livelihoods dimensions of sustainable use. It also led to a standing invitation for Shane Mahoney to attend formal Briefings of the CBD’s Open ended Working Group on the Post 2020 GBF, thus affording another ongoing opportunity to regularly engage in development of the Post 2020 GBF, especially regarding the Targets and Indicators pertaining to wildlife utilization.

CONCLUSION

Conservation Visions intends to hone and expand the communications and outreach services both to our partners and to the international entities we engage As the previous discussion has highlighted, there are a number of intersecting processes that are directing the future of sustainable wild harvest activities. Fortunately, many are positively disposed and often directly supportive of regulated wildlife use and are open to including supportive arguments and examples in their work. These include local, regional and international

entities with the potential to impact both the short term and long term realities and legalities of wild animal harvests. It is imperative that accurate and reliable data regarding the impact of sustainable harvesting activities be presented and included as these discussions progress. North American interests must develop ways, and establish the means, to engage in these efforts.

Conservation Visions has made extensive contributions to North American debates through its emphasis on the North American Model, and through its publications,

lectures and social media efforts.

Conservation Visions also remains committed to engaging in key meetings and decision making processes with those international entities of direct relevance to wild harvest. Drawing on data from the Wild Harvest Initiative® , Conservation Visions continues to attend a myriad of international conferences, workshops and events both in person and virtually in order to provide evidence for the economic, conservation, health and social benefits associated with sustainable wild harvest activities. Illustrating the successful incentive based conservation model of the United States and Canada as a valuable case study, Conservation Visions, through the Wild Harvest Initiative® , can present a compelling case for the critical importance of sustainable use activities worldwide. This long term strategy for protecting and expanding support for sustainable wildlife use, while at the same time bringing the North American Model to international awareness, is considered vital to the future of recreational hunting, fishing, and foraging, at home and abroad