Sustainable Use of Wild Species

IUCN Issues Brief

• Wild species are used by billions of people who rely on them for many purposes including for food, medicine, income and energy.
• To conserve biodiversity and to maintain the many benefits it provides to people, use of wild species must be sustainable.
• Sustainable use is a critical tool for both conservation and development.
• Action is needed at local, national and international levels to realise the potential of sustainable use for achieving conservation and development goals.
• Most important is the need for wider recognition of the role that use of wild species plays in all our lives and careful consideration to the implications of this use.