Expert Corner: Jean-Marc Fromentin on the Sustainable Use of Wild Species

Bottom-up participatory processes that listen to the voices of local communities enable the right conditions for decision-making. The report states clearly that we have to work closely with indigenous peoples and local communities as knowledge holders. Indigenous peoples have been living in harmony with nature for centuries, sometimes millennia, so the knowledge and governance systems developed must be preserved and protected similarly to endangered species. Monitoring is also crucial to prevent species decline, and monitoring efforts that are inclusive of indigenous peoples and local communities and scientific approaches often better inform decision-making.

Transparent and effective governance systems enabling collaboration between diverse stakeholders encourage positive ecological and social outcomes. We often have big winners in the distribution of natural resources, while the most vulnerable communities pay a high price for nature’s decline. The equitable distribution of costs and benefits is a critical condition to advance policies that recognize the interconnection between the status of the well-being of people and the planet.

Finally, while it is key to have robust institutions, it is also important that they are agile and adaptive to change, as we live in a reality that often changes in unexpected ways.