Species Survival Network - Criteria For Sustainability

Criteria For Sustainability

The CITES Parties have recognized, in Articles III and IV of the CITES Treaty, that international commercial trade in plants and animals must not be detrimental to the survival of species, or in other words, that it must be sustainable. Too often, use of a species is claimed to be sustainable in the absence of evidence to support this claim. Such evidence should be provided by those who wish to label a use “sustainable”. SSN has developed the following criteria to assist Parties when assessing the sustainability of trade in wild fauna and flora. Proposals to remove or reduce the level of protection afforded, or to start or increase international commercial trade in, a species should meet all of the following criteria:

• Information is collected
• A science-based management system is in place
• The Precautionary Principle is applied
• Government policies, laws and institutions are in place
• People living in the vicinity of the used population are empowered and experience benefits
• Economic sustainability is demonstrated
• Long-term conservation benefits are demonstrated
• The use is compatible with other uses of the species and is not detrimental to other species
• Animals are protected from cruelty and suffering, and incidental mortality is avoided

For more detail on the individual criteria, please see the link below on SSN's Criteria for Assessing the Sustainability of Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora