Redefining sustainable use of wild species in a post-pandemic world: a five-dimensional assessment tool

Billions of people across the world use wild species for a wide variety of reasons and the sustainable use of wild species is an essential part of sustainable development.

Yet some doubt whether the regulatory frameworks governing such use are strong enough. There are also concerns about the human and animal health and welfare implications of some forms of wild species use.

This briefing outlines a novel, five-dimensional framework for assessing the sustainability of wild species use that takes these concerns into account. This includes a tool for assessing progress towards targets 5 and 9 under the global biodiversity framework in ensuring that use of wild species is not just sustainable but also legal and safe.