Food, energy, medicine… Humanity depends on 50,000 wild species for its survival – Le Monde

A Kenyan artisanal fisherman shows off his catch of rabbitfish, June 11, 2022, at the port of Shimoni in Kwale County. BRIAN INGANGA / AP It’s a number that reminds us how much our lives are linked to that of wild plants and animals – a relationship that is undoubtedly obvious but which can also seem distant, even abstract: on a planetary scale, some 50,000 non-domesticated species are used in the food, energy, medicine, materials and leisure sectors. Global food security, in particular, relies heavily on these resources: one in five people depends on wild plants, algae and fungi for food and income, and 2.4 billion people need wood for cooking. . In total, the survival of 70% of poor populations is directly linked to flora and fauna. While the erosion of biodiversity continues to worsen, threatening these uses and therefore the well-being of part of humanity, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES ) unveils, on Friday 8 July, a new assessment report on the sustainable use of wild species. Nicknamed “the IPCC of biodiversity”, in reference to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the body created in 2012 brings together 139 governments which approved, during a plenary session in Bonn (Germany), a “summary for decision makers” of about thirty pages. The complete study, drawn up by 85 experts from more than 50 countries, took four years to complete and is based on some 6,200 references. “First global assessment” “This report is the first global assessment of our use of wild species, explains Jean-Marc Fromentin, research director at the French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer), who co-directed this assessment. Until now we only had a very fragmented vision of the situation: we had some knowledge about fishing, logging… The end result shows how important these wild species are; I myself was surprised by the sheer number of species we use! The number of living species on earth is estimated at between 8 million and 10 million, of which just over 2 million have been described – insects represent three quarters of known animal species. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Overfishing is decreasing in France, but many fish species are collapsing IPBES experts identify five main categories of “practices” linked to the use of wild species: fishing , gathering, logging, “taking” of terrestrial animals for hunting or trade, and non-extractive activities such as nature observation. “The countries of the South are not the only ones to use wild species in abundance,” insists forest specialist Marla Emery, co-director of the report. From the fish we eat to medicines, cosmetics, decorations and hobbies, this use is much more widespread than most people realize. You have 67% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.