New Centre for Species Survival Promotes Sustainable Use as a Tool for Species Conservation

IUCN SULi is part of an exciting new initiative with the establishment of the IUCN Centre for Species Survival (CSS) on Human Dimensions. Until now, other IUCN Centres have focused on specific taxonomic groups or geographic regions. This unique Centre will be the first CSS of its kind to link species conservation with social and cultural issues such as health, reproductive rights, livelihoods and sustainable use. The aim is to take a holistic approach to species conservation by recognising the importance of human health and livelihoods in conservation issues. 

The initiative is being led by the Wilder Institute, a Calgary Zoo-based authority on ‘saving threatened and endangered species while empowering communities to restore balance’. Alongside the IUCN Biodiversity & Family Planning Task Force, IUCN SULi will be a partner to the Wilder Institute, and therefore central to the work being done and strategic objectives of the CSS. Sustainable use is a critical tool for supporting both conservation and livelihoods, yet its role in achieving development goals is often overlooked. Dr. Gráinne McCabe, Chief Conservation Officer, Wilder Institute, shares this sentiment, stating that “effective species conservation doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens when people are part of the solution”. IUCN SULi is proud to be able to offer the wealth of resources and expertise at its disposal to this CSS, to further promote the role that sustainable use has in conserving threatened species. 

For more information on the IUCN Center for Species Survival Human Dimension, visit the Wilder Institute website at https://wilderinstitute.org/conservation/iucn/.