How we’ll manage threatened species 

Balancing conservation and sustainable harvesting

Some threatened species, even those in the highest risk categories, can support carefully regulated sustainable harvests. These practices benefit conservation and provide financial incentives for local communities and management.

However, this concept often faces public and political scepticism. This is especially true regarding overseas hunters tracking iconic species like elephants, hippos, lions, and rhinos. In the UK, attempts to ban hunting trophy imports to protect these species have often been based on misinformation.

IUCN guidelines on harvesting threatened species

In May, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published its Guidelines on Harvesting Threatened Species. This key document helps clarify fact from fiction for policymakers and the public.

The IUCN is a globally respected conservation body, founded in 1948. It boasts over 1,400 member organisations and 17,000 experts. The organisation provides practical environmental solutions worldwide.

What do the guidelines cover?

Produced by IUCN’s Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group, the guidelines address harvesting broadly. They include collecting, cutting, taking, or killing wild animals, plants, fungi, and their derivatives.

Uses include food, building materials, healthcare, medicines, pest control, ornamentation, income, recreation, and cultural or spiritual practices.

Overexploitation and sustainable use: two sides of a coin

Media coverage often focuses on overexploitation as a driver of biodiversity loss. The guidelines include fascinating case studies showing both negative and positive impacts of harvesting.

For example, clear-felling timber destroys non-target trees, plants, and animals in forest ecosystems. This impacts roughly 55% of threatened and near-threatened bird species, including Himalayan pheasants.

In Indonesia, the Asian songbird trade threatens dozens of globally endangered species. An estimated 66 to 84 million birds are kept in one-third of Java’s 36 million households.

Positive conservation outcomes through sustainable use

There are also success stories. The endangered saker falcon benefits from a Mongolian artificial nest programme. Since 2011, over 5,000 nests have been installed, producing 10,000 fledglings and enabling a sustainable harvest of falconry chicks.

In South Africa and Namibia, regulated hunting of critically endangered black rhinos targets mainly old males. Between 2005 and 2018, 47 rhinos were hunted in South Africa and 12 in Namibia under strict criteria.

Despite this, black rhino populations have increased, showing better genetic diversity and expanded range. This suggests trophy hunting, when well managed, can positively impact conservation.

Relevance to UK quarry species management

While some cases may seem distant, these principles will be important if Defra launches a consultation this year. The consultation will review quarry species and shooting seasons in England for the first time in 40 years.

Population trends are mixed. Pink-footed geese populations have boomed, while species like pochard and pintail are declining.

Self-regulation is a key argument for keeping certain species on the quarry list. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has long supported this view. If a consultation happens, BASC will push for retaining some species and adding new ones.