The The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has approved this week in the German city of Bonn a new report on the global biodiversity crisis. The study, among other conclusions, highlights the scientific evidence of the relationship between the global crisis of biodiversity loss and the way in which society values and considers biodiversity in political and economic decision-making. For this reason, the report highlights the importance of integrating the consideration of the values of nature, in all its diversity and not only of the market, as a key element to improve decision-making on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.  

On the other hand, IPBES has also highlighted the assessment of the sustainable use of wild species, both for biodiversity and for human well-being. In this way, the use of wild species is recognized as an important source of income for billions of people in the world, both for their extractive uses (such as fishing, gathering, logging or capturing terrestrial animals) and for non-extractive practices, such as tourism based on wildlife observation.

The study examines the status and trends in the use of wild species, as well as the consequences and degree of sustainability of these uses, especially over the last 20 years. While the use of wild species has increased in recent decades in most cases, the sustainability of these uses has varied variably.

OVEREXPLOITATION OF WILD SPECIES

According to the report, the society uses some 50,000 wild species to meet basic needs, of which more than 10,000 are used directly as human food. 70% of the world’s poor depend on wildlife for survival. In addition, one in five people depend on wild plants, algae and fungi for food and income. Finally, 2,400 million people use wood as firewood for cooking; and of the 120 million people who work in capture fisheries, about 90% make a living from small-scale fisheries.

Overexploitation is one of the main threats to the survival of many terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. Thus, the study highlights that, worldwide, the survival of about 12% of species of wild trees is at risk due to unsustainable logging. In addition 34% of wild marine fish stocks are overexploited. On the other hand, unsustainable harvesting is one of the main threats to several groups of plants. Unsustainable hunting has also been identified as a threat to 1,341 species of wild mammals, and has also been frequently identified as a cause of negative impacts on bird species.

Global wildlife trade has increased significantly over the past few decades, and risks increasing the unsustainable use of wildlife if effective regulation is not ensured in all supply chains. In addition, according to the publication, international trade has also been recognized as an important and growing cause of the introduction of invasive alien species.

In this way, the IPBES report stresses the need to address the causes of unsustainable use and reverse these trends, to improve the status of wildlife and the people who depend on them and, in particular, for poor people in rural communities in developing countries, who are more dependent on wildlife and are particularly vulnerable to their unsustainable use.

To this end, the study presents new approaches to promote the sustainable use of species, including the adoption of inclusive and participatory policies and the importance of monitoring and monitoring the status and trends of wild species and their use, as a fundamental issue to ensure their sustainability.

The report also examines some possible future scenarios regarding the use of wild species, which confirm that climate change, increased demand and technological advances are likely to bring some challenges for sustainable use in the future, due to the potential to increase the efficiency of many extractive practices. To address these challenges, the report proposes actions such as supporting small-scale fisheries or promoting the management and certification of multiple-use forests .

CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

The conclusions of the adopted assessments will be particularly useful in guiding negotiations at the upcoming Conferences of the Parties (COPs) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Likewise, the information generated will serve to support governments and institutions in the adoption of national policies at all levels, to Promote sustainability in sectoral activities that involve the use of wild species. Thus, for example, the document points out, among other issues, the importance of preventing non-extractive uses of wild species, such as nature tourism based on the observation of wild species, from damaging the ecosystem as a whole.

In response to this report, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) highlights that Spain has contributed, among other aspects, to consolidating the path towards carrying out a new assessment on ecological connectivity, which could constitute an essential contribution to promoting a better consideration of ecological connectivity in biodiversity conservation and restoration policies, through the review and consolidation of the knowledge base on this subject.

Likewise, MITECO highlights that important progress has been made in the preparation of the initial analysis document for the realization of an assessment of the impacts and dependencies of the biodiversity of companies. This work will be of great relevance to continue promoting the work and results of the Spanish Business and Biodiversity Initiative, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation.

IPBES

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an independent intergovernmental body established in Panama in 2012 following the agreement of 94 governments. Its objective since then is to assess the state of biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.