Sustainable use has been long recognised as the bridge between conservation and development as indicated by this selection of multilateral statements and commitments:
- 1961 – Report of the Symposium on Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in Modern African States (CCTA, IUCN, FAO, UNESCO)
Only by the planned utilization of wildlife as a renewable natural resource, either for protein or as a recreational attraction, can its conservation and development be economically justified in competition with agriculture, stock ranching, and other forms of land use.
The African is a realist. The use of game as a source of food is not only more easily understood than the idea of conserving wild animals for aesthetic, scientific, or sentimental reasons;—it also fulfils in many instances a strong instinct and a way of life and, if properly controlled, provides the most effective instrument of management.
- 1980 – World Conservation Strategy: Living Resource Conservation for Sustainable Development (IUCN, FAO, UNEP, UNESCO,WWF)
Conservation, like development, is for people; while development aims to achieve human goals largely through use of the biosphere, conservation aims to achieve them by ensuring that such use can continue. Conservation’s concern for maintenance and sustainability is a rational response to the nature of living resources…
In the case of sectors (such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry and wildlife) directly responsible for the management of living resources, conservation is that aspect of management which ensures that utilization is sustainable…In the case of other sectors (such as health, energy, industry), conservation is that aspect of management which ensures that the fullest sustainable advantage is derived from the living resource base…
- 1992 – Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (UN)
Aware that conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity are critical to meeting the food, health, and other needs of the growing world population
Article 10 (e). Encourage cooperation between its governmental authorities and its private sector in developing methods for sustainable use of biological resources
- 2015 – Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (UN)
SDG 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development…
SDG 15. Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems…
- 2022 – Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) (UN)
Target 5. 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 spill-over, applying the ecosystem approach, while respecting and protecting customary sustainable use by indigenous peoples and local communities.
Target 9. Ensure that the management and use of wild species are sustainable, thereby providing social, economic, and environmental benefits for people, especially those in vulnerable situations and those most dependent on biodiversity, including through sustainable biodiversity-based activities, products and services that enhance biodiversity, and protecting and encouraging customary sustainable use by indigenous peoples and local communities.
- 2025 – CITES Strategic Vision: 2021-2030 (UN)
Vision Statement. By 2030, all international trade in wild fauna and flora is legal and sustainable, consistent with the long-term conservation of species, and thereby contributing to halting biodiversity loss, to ensuring its sustainable use, and to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Indeed, the multilateral commitment to sustainable use as a pathway for sustainable development is clear.