CPW Committed to Advancing Sustainable Wildlife Management Through Strategic Cooperation

On 3 March, World Wildlife Day 2025, the Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management (CPW) - a coalition of thirteen international organizations – published a joint statement to reaffirm its commitment to advancing sustainable wildlife management (SWM) through strategic cooperation, joint initiatives, and innovative financing. 

IUFRO as a member of the Partnership was represented at the CPW Strategic Retreat in Geneva in February by Viola Belohrad, Science-Policy Programme Project Manager. 

This year's theme of World Wildlife Day, "Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet", highlights the urgent need to scale up financial resources for conservation and for ensuring sustainable use of wildlife. While public finance, overseas development assistance, and philanthropy remain fundamental funding sources, expanding traditional financing through innovative mechanisms such as payments for ecosystem services, debt-for nature swaps, biodiversity credits, sustainable biodiversity-based economic activities, green bonds, and benefit-sharing schemes is critical. (…)

At the CPW Strategic Retreat held in Geneva in February 2025, back-to-back with the 78^th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee, the CPW partners agreed to collaborate on joint fundraising efforts to advance several ambitious joint initiatives, such as responding to requests from biodiversity-related conventions such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) contributing to the development of indicators for Targets 4, 5 and 9 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework; and advancing the Wild Biodiversity Economy Initiative, ensuring sustainable and inclusive benefits for people and planet.

The year 2025 also marks a significant milestone: the 50^th anniversary of the entry into force of CITES. Reflecting on this occasion, CPW Chair Ivonne Higuero, CITES Secretary-General, emphasized:

"The CPW brings together a wealth of expertise and experience in sustainable wildlife management, demonstrating the power of collaboration in supporting global commitments. We should seize the opportunity to collectively mobilize resources, ensuring that both wildlife and people thrive in a world that values the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. By working together, we can unlock new funding opportunities and drive higher impact solutions for nature and communities."

Image: downloaded from website Joint Statement by the Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management for World Wildlife Day 2025 | Official website of UN World Wildlife Day
Banner image: downloaded from website Home | Official website of UN World Wildlife Day