Wild Life, Wild Livelihoods: Involving Communities in Sustainable Wildlife Management and Combating Illegal Wildlife Trade - Executive Summary and Policy Implications

This executive summary and policy implications report synthesizes decades of community wildlife management research alongside new analyses to evaluate international best practices for involving local populations in wildlife management and combating illegal wildlife trade. Commissioned by United Nations Environment, the text examines community participation opportunities and barriers within international policy forums. The findings indicate that top-down, militarized enforcement can cause human rights abuses and backfire. Effective conservation requires local ownership, secure land rights, financial incentives, and increased community voices in global and national decision-making.