WCS published a brochure show-casing how the conservation of wildlife and wild places is central to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), taking examples from our work. To access the brochure, click here.
The adoption of the seventeen SDGs in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) represented a significant step in integrating the conservation of wildlife and wild places into the UN’s global development agenda. WCS staff were actively engaged in the effort to include references to terrestrial and marine wildlife and ecosystems in the goals, as included in Goal 14: Life Below Water and Goal 15: Life on Land. We are also working to advocate for the role played by wildlife and wild places in delivering many of the other SDGs, for example in relation to food security, peace and climate action. WCS EU is working to ensure that this agenda is properly implemented at the EU level and that wildlife and wild places are integrated into EU aid and development programmes.
To align with the SDGs, the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) is taking steps in its support for biodiversity by developing a holistic strategy to support wildlife conservation worldwide. The European Commission released a number of ground-breaking in-depth studies including the:
- 2016 study 'Larger than Elephants: inputs for an EU strategic approach to wildlife conservation in Africa' (click here)
- 2018 study 'Larger than Tigers: inputs for an EU strategic approach to biodiversity conservation in Asia' (click here)
- 2019 study 'Larger than Jaguars: inputs for a strategic approach to biodiversity conservation in Latin America and the Caribbean' (click here)
- 2019 study 'Interaction between security and wildlife conservation in sub-Saharan Africa' (click here)
WCS is working to provide scientific and technical input to these documents and to advocate their full implementation.WCS strongly supports this unprecedented initiative by DG INTPA to support wildlife conservation, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate on this issue.
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2025
WCS EU comments on the Simplification of EU Environmental Legislation
WCS EU comments on the upcoming EU Bioeconomy Strategy
WCS EU comments on the next EU Funding for External Action
2024
Reception on CBD COP16 and UNFCCC COP29
NGOs statement on prioritising biodiversity in the post-2027 EU budget
WCS EU at the IUCN RCF for Europe, North, and Central Asia
WCS EU comments on the Update of the Belgian Biodiversity Strategy
MEP Letter on Increasing EU Biodiversity Finance
WCS at CMS COP14 in Uzbekistan
2023
Global Gateway Civil Society and Local Authorities Dialogue Platform
NGOs statement on the EU Restoration Law
WCS EU comments on the MFF mid-term review and revision
Workshop on Implementing the new Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)
2022
Reception on COP27 and COP15
IUCN Africa Protected Area Congress in Kigali
European Development Days
NGOs letter to EU Ministers on Global Biodiversity Finance
A New Africa-EU Partnership Can Help Protect Africa’s Unique Biodiversity
2021
Virtual High-Profile Dialogue on Central Asia’s Biodiversity Conservation
IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille
European Development Days
NGOs letter to EU Commissioner on Global Europe instrument
WCS EU submission on the evaluation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020
WCS recommendations at the EP ENVI hearing on biodiversity
2020
NGOs statement following the Finance in Common Summit
NGOs letter to EU Commissioners on zoonotic outbreaks
NGOs letter to EU Commissioners on biodiversity finance
NGOs statement on the EU development aid budget
WCS EU recommendations for the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030
WCS EU recommendations for the EU-Africa Strategy
WCS EU comments on a roadmap for the EU Strategy for Biodiversity to 2030
2019
NGOs letter to EU Ministers regarding the post-2020 EU budget
NGOs letter to MEPs regarding the post-2020 EU budget
2018
NGOs statement calling for increased funding for biodiversity
2017
WCS response to the Public Consultation on the EU External Financing Instruments