The CIC Joins the Wild Harvest Initiative® Partnership Alliance

(19 September, 2023) The CIC has entered into a new partnership with Conservation Visions Inc. in support of the Wild Harvest Initiative®.

The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC), one of the world’s oldest conservation organisations, has entered a new partnership with Conservation Visions focusing on the Wild Harvest Initiative®, the first serious effort to evaluate the combined economic, conservation, and social benefits of recreational wild animal harvests in modern North American society.

Poised to expand into Europe, the Wild Harvest Initiative’s® structured, science-based approach – combined with its long-term advocacy and knowledge mobilization strategies – is providing a new and innovative assessment of wildlife’s value and the benefits of wild harvest activities not just to hunters, but to all community members, including even those who are opposed to animal use.

The program will answer the question: If hunting and fishing were to end tomorrow, what would be the consequences?

This transatlantic partnership – marking the Wild Harvest Initiative’s® first partnership in Europe – serves as a unique opportunity in knowledge sharing and bridge building across the two continents, creating synergies that will look to benefit wildlife management practices around the globe. The CIC’s extensive network that spans across over 80 countries will in particular aid in efforts to export a proven success in the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation into a European context.

With a mission to educate, advocate, build and inspire alliances, as well as influence public and political opinion to positively impact people and nature, the Wild Harvest Initiative® will aid in the CIC’s efforts to support and promote biodiversity conservation through sustainable use, as well as wider sustainable development goals.

It will provide a strong scientific basis for engagement in environmental policy debates and enable effective outreach in support of hunting’s positive role as both a meaningful tool for conservation and an important component of food security.

Conservation Visions is excited about this new partnership.  “The CIC has a long track record of environmental and cultural stewardship, as well as overall excellence,” states company President, Shane Mahoney.

“I am certain that, together, we can do much good – most importantly to benefit wildlife, but also to prove the modern relevance of our shared hunting and fishing traditions – and I am thrilled to have the CIC on board as the first European partner in the Wild Harvest Initiative® Partnership Alliance.”

Dr. Philipp Harmer, President of the CIC, also spoke about the impact of Conservation Visions and the road ahead for both organisations, “We have been admiring the work of Shane Mahoney, Conservation Visions and the Wild Harvest Initiative® for many years, with Shane having served as the President of the CIC Policy and Law Division since 2020.

This partnership will undoubtedly create new opportunities that will have an impact in a truly global context, with the wildlife economy operating at the intersection of numerous sustainable development issues, including conservation, food security and human well-being.”

About Conservation Visions Inc.

Conservation Visions Inc. is a wildlife initiative founded by internationally recognized biologist, conservation advocate, Shane Mahoney.  It is dedicated to a world where conservation matters; where biodiversity is safeguarded, including the diversity of human cultural experience; where conservation and citizenship are viewed as inseparable; where a global responsibility to nature is recognized; where the sustainable use of natural resources is safeguarded through knowledge; and where governments make sound decisions concerning conservation and biodiversity, based on scientific and traditional wisdom.  To learn more about Conservation Visions and the Wild Harvest Initiative®, please visit www.conservationvisions.com.

About The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC)

The CIC is a politically independent, international, non-governmental advisory body that advocates for wildlife conservation through the principles of sustainable use. It is a union of state and civil stakeholders that is among the oldest conservation organisations in the world. The CIC currently represents 27 government bodies within its 1,800+ strong membership, and is active in over 80 countries.

Media Contacts

Amanda Hull, Conservation Visions Inc.; amanda@conservationvisions.com; 709-754-4780

Gabriella Kanyok, CIC; g.kanyok@cic-wildlife.org; 36 23 453 830