26 September 2012: The Andean Community (CAN) convened wildlife officials and managers from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and invited regional experts to discuss wildlife management in CAN’s Amazonian regions, focused on “priority species.” The 24-26 September 2012 workshop held in Lima, Peru was coordinated by the Wildlife Conservation Society with guidance from CAN’s biodiversity program, BioCAN.

The workshop discussed the general framework of management of land and semi-aquatic wildlife. Each participant was asked to select at least three wildlife species of wide distribution and high importance as a food source for local Amazonian populations, to be considered as priority species. CAN aims to use experiences with priority species as models for the development of its guidelines for wildlife management.

The workshop is the second of four to be carried out under BioCAN’s Plan for Capacity Building in the area of ​​Amazon wildlife management. The first, held in May 2012, discussed options and proposals for subregional coordination mechanisms to combat illegal traffic in species of wild Amazonian fauna and flora. The remaining two subregional meetings are planned on: conflicts related to wildlife management; and the integration of the ecosystem approach to wildlife management.

BioCAN, created in 2007 with funding from Finland, and in its second phase since June 2010, has the mission of contributing to the quality of life of CAN member countries in their Tropical Andes-Amazonian Regions “through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in an equitable manner respectful of cultural diversity.” [CAN Press Release (in Spanish)] [IISD RS Story on BioCAN Traffic Workshop]