Background
The Society believes there is a place for the commercial consumption of wildlife and recognises that potential positive gains for conservation from such uses are important.

The Society notes that the commercial use of wildlife is not new, with forestry and fishing being prime examples of established commercial uses.

This Position Statement has been developed with an understanding that the majority of AMS members are likely to support ethics based on conservation rather than on anthropomorphism or animal liberation. You can comment on this draft position statement on the AMS Forum.

Definitions
Wildlife encompasses undomesticated native animals and uncultivated native plants.

Sustainability means the capacity for long-term commercial use without reducing the species' geographic range, changing existing patterns of genetic variability, radically altering community structure and function or limiting the species’ capacity to evolve naturally.

Based on the above, The Australian Mammal Society

RECOGNISES that the people of Australia place a high value on the conservation of native plants and animals and that decisions about the uses of wildlife should always be based on an amalgam of facts and values;

Is CONCERNED that despite this interest, biodiversity continues to be lost, largely due to land-use priorities that favour exotic species at the expense of native ones and the natural environment;

AGREES that, in developing a policy in relation to any particular issue on the management of wildlife, the Society must emphasise the application of scientific information and methodology, but, in doing so, should not ignore moral values, and should strive to find a consensus of its members that reflects their values;

SUPPORTS the concept of conserving habitats and species through the sustainable use of wildlife, whether consumptive or non-consumptive, as spelled out in the resolution adopted at the December 1990 General Assembly of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), that recognised, inter alia, that '... ethical, wise and sustainable use of some wildlife can provide an alternative or supplementary means of productive land use, and can be consistent with and encourage conservation, where such use is in accordance with adequate safeguards...';

RECOGNISES the need to develop guidelines that ensure the commercial uses of particular species or habitats are sustainable, within the social, economic, and ecological contexts in which the uses occur, and to be sufficiently flexible to account for risks and uncertainties in all these variables;

ACCEPTS that landowners are more likely to expend resources conserving wildlife that is economically valuable to them, than wildlife with a neutral or negative economic value;

RECOGNISES that a threshold exists between sustainable and non-sustainable commercial use. The threshold is the ratio of the annual rate of increase to the annual discount rate. If the ratio is greater than 1.0 then sustainable commercial use is possible. If the ratio is less than 1.0, commercial use will most likely be non-sustainable;

Is AWARE that it is technically and scientifically possible to sustain commercial uses of wildlife without endangering species or their supporting ecosystems;

RECOGNISES that any species that can support commercially profitable and ecologically sustainable harvests is a candidate for commercial activity;

ACKNOWLEDGES that commercial uses of wildlife provide special opportunities for the sustainable economic development of rural people, including indigenous people, especially in remote areas;

RECOGNISES that there are some species for which cultural considerations prohibit consumption and there is a need to consider each case, on its merits, and further;

CONSIDERS that the sanction of a harvest or other use should account for potential benefits to the conservation of the species' habitat and other species in its community.

ACCORDINGLY, AMS recommends that :

Commercial uses be restricted to those species that can sustain a commercially viable use and that conservation goals should be maximised. The goal should be the conservation of ecosystems rather than single species, and the maintenance or increase of existing global biodiversity.

The public’s acceptance of specific commercial uses of wildlife should be determined through public consultations.

Protocols for regulation, monitoring, assessment, and reporting should be incorporated into a plan of management that is reviewed at least every 5 years.

The plan of management should be developed in consultation with relevant interest groups, be long-term, linked to land tenure and structured to return profits to the local area, and, wherever possible, should return benefits directly to the landholder.

The plan of management should be adaptive, based upon firm scientific principles and the best available knowledge, and include ongoing monitoring, reporting, and research to ensure that the use is economically, ecologically, and culturally sustainable.

There be guidelines in place and mechanisms available to enable a re-evaluation of the commercial uses of wildlife if conservation objectives are compromised.

Governments need to ensure that the departments responsible for managing wildlife remain involved in regulation, monitoring, reporting and assessment, and that, stakeholders, particularly landowners, are involved in all aspects of management.

The market place should be allowed to operate as freely as possible within clearly identified regulations set by the relevant governmental agency to ensure that conservation goals are not compromised.

There be minimal consumptive waste. Non-consumptive uses should have minimal impacts on the exploited species and its habitat.

There be appropriate standards to ensure animals are treated humanely.

Care be taken to avoid impacts on ‘look-alike’ species which may be taken mistakenly or deliberately.

Copyright AWMS 1999