From 3 to 11 September 2021, the 2020 IUCN World Conservation Congress took place in Marseille, France, following its postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year. Several thousand representatives from governments, NGOs, indigenous people, business, and scientific experts met to set the nature conservation agenda to 2030 and beyond.

Discussions and decisions focused on three main topics:

• Nature-based recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic,
• Ongoing climate and biodiversity crisis,
• Necessary transformation of the global financial system into investment frameworks that benefit nature.

The European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE), representing 7️ million European hunters, ensured that debates about sustainable nature use were pragmatic and evidence-based in line with the global conservation and restoration agendas. Sustainable hunting is and must also be part of future global conservation strategies.

Together with representatives of African local communities, the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC), Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) and the German hunters’ federation (DJV), FACE advocated for community-based conservation and the acceptance/recognition of sustainable use as an effective conservation tool worldwide.

In response to COVID-19 (and any future pandemics), the congress outcomes stated that pandemic risks could be significantly reduced by addressing the main causes and drivers of biodiversity loss. Further, sustainable food production practices need to be promoted. This includes biodiversity-friendly farming activities, indigenous and local knowledge rights, as well as sustainable hunting, trade and wildlife use which maintain and improve environmental health.