Conservation Visions and the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE) have entered into a new partnership to advance the European expansion of the Wild Harvest Initiative® (WHI), strengthening international efforts to understand and communicate the importance of sustainable wild harvesting to conservation, food security, economies and society.

The collaboration brings together Conservation Visions’ international leadership in conservation science, sustainable use and research with FACE’s extensive network of national hunting associations and expertise in European wildlife management. Together, the organisations will advance the collection and analysis of European wild harvest data, building a stronger scientific foundation for understanding how sustainably managed wildlife resources contribute to biodiversity conservation, rural livelihoods, cultural traditions and human well-being.

The Wild Harvest Initiative® comes to Europe

Central to the partnership is the Wild Harvest Initiative®, a pioneering research and communications programme examining the economic, social and ecological significance of wild animal and plant harvesting. Initially established in North America, WHI is expanding internationally to develop the first comprehensive, comparable assessment of wild harvest across multiple global regions.

FACE will play an important role in this expansion, facilitating access to European data and supporting the development of a coordinated research effort that recognises the diverse contributions of hunting and wild harvest across the continent.

“Wild harvesting represents one of humanity’s oldest and most enduring relationships with nature, yet its contributions to contemporary society remain remarkably underrecognised. This partnership with FACE will help us bring those contributions into clearer focus, strengthening the scientific foundation for conservation policies that recognise not only the value of wildlife and healthy ecosystems, but also the essential connections between nature and human well-being.”

Shane Mahoney, President, Conservation Visions

“Europe’s hunters harvest wild food, manage habitats and monitor wildlife every day, yet the full value of that work is rarely captured in the data that decision-makers rely on. Bringing the Wild Harvest Initiative® to Europe will help us measure what sustainable wild harvest contributes to biodiversity, rural economies and healthy, local food. Together with Conservation Visions and our member associations across Europe, we will build the evidence needed for wildlife policies that are practical, science-based and fair to the people who care for nature on the ground.”

Laurens Hoedemaker, President, FACE

Under the agreement, FACE will also join the Wild Harvest Initiative® Partnership Alliance, strengthening a growing international network committed to advancing scientific understanding, collaboration and recognition of the many benefits that sustainable wild harvesting provides to people and nature.

Media contacts: Amanda Marie Hull, Communications Manager, Conservation Visions – amanda.hull@conservationvisions.com · Alessio Borrello, Communications Manager, FACE – alessio.borrello@face.eu