Can Wild Economies Fund Conservation? From Livelihoods to Resilient Nature-Based Economies

12/10/2025
15:00 - 15:45
Human-Centred Conservation Pavilion

Why attend

Explore whether sustainable use can become a reliable, socially accepted source of conservation funding. Learn from practical examples, innovative financing, and the difficulties of being resilient. This panel will challenge assumptions, highlight trade-offs, and inspire new approaches that link wildlife economies with wellbeing, governance, and ecological integrity.

Session Description

Conservation requires resources, but donor funding is unreliable and photographic tourism has proven a fragile silver bullet. Can sustainable use, from regulated hunting to wild harvesting, create viable and resilient nature-based economies? This panel will go beyond familiar arguments to ask hard questions: what makes wild economies truly achievable and sustainable? Can they gain social acceptance in the Global North, where political risks are high and this idea is counterculture? How can innovation, from blockchain traceability to direct-to-market platforms, build the transparency and credibility these models need? Panellists will confront trade-offs, debate risks, and explore whether wild economies can deliver not just revenues, but wellbeing, governance, and ecological integrity.
Organised by
Jamma International ( United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland )
Partners
Wild Sheep Foundation ( United States of America )

Speaker

Speaker Aibat MUZBAY

IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy 2021-2025

Speaker Shane MAHONEY

International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation

Speaker JACOBO ARTEE

Sierra el Alamo / Alcampo Hunting Adventures

Speaker Gray THORNTON

Wild Sheep Foundation