The Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme is a major international initiative that aims to improve wildlife conservation and food security, contributing to the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031, which supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Since 2017, African, Caribbean and Pacific countries are cooperating with this Programme to develop innovative, collaborative and scalable new approaches to conserve wild animals and protect ecosystems.

In particular, it aims to improve the sustainable and legal use of wild animal populations through participatory management of hunting, fishing and wildlife. It also works on reducing urban consumption of wild meat from unsustainable sources by encouraging healthy and sustainable livestock, poultry and fish farming value chains.

The initiative focuses as well on people's living conditions and food security, working on the improvement of the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and rural communities who depend on these resources.

The first phase of the initiative received 45 million euros from the EU, with co-funding from the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM) and French Development Agency (AFD). While, with this month the Programme is entering in its second phase, that will run until May 2029 and will be part of NaturAfrica, the new EU initiative for biodiversity conservation in Africa.

NaturAfrica: the Green Deal approach to support African biodiversity

Announced in June 2022, it is part of the European Green Deal’s global biodiversity strategy to protect wildlife and ecosystems, harness economic opportunities for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in green sectors.

The initiative identifies key landscapes for conservation and development, where the EU will focus its short-term support as to begin. It will develop actions building on the positive benefits that protected areas bring to society and the economy, encouraging networks and knowledge-sharing.

As a second step, the medium-term actions are those of extending the support beyond key landscapes to address the root causes of biodiversity loss and environmental degradation and integrate these concerns into other sectors.

In this new phase, FAO will continue to lead a consortium of partners, which includes the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).  

The partnership is working with national and regional administrations, civil society, the private sector, and over 80 local and indigenous communities, in 16 countries, to which the implementation of NaturAfrica is subject.