Conservation Visions, FACE partner on Europe wild harvest research

Conservation Visions and the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation have formed a partnership to expand the Wild Harvest Initiative across Europe. The effort aims to build a stronger evidence base on how sustainable wild harvest supports conservation, food systems, rural economies and human well-being.

Why it matters: - The partnership is meant to give policymakers and conservation groups better data on the role sustainable wild harvest plays in biodiversity, rural livelihoods, local food systems and cultural traditions. - The work could influence wildlife policy in Europe by quantifying benefits that are often discussed but rarely captured in official data. - FACE's reach across Europe gives the research program access to a broad network of hunting associations and wildlife management expertise.

What happened: - Conservation Visions and the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation, or FACE, announced a new partnership on Nov. 6, 2026. - The agreement is designed to advance the European expansion of the Wild Harvest Initiative®, a research and communications program focused on wild animal and plant harvesting. - FACE will help collect and analyze European wild harvest data and support a coordinated research effort across the continent. - FACE will also join the Wild Harvest Initiative® Partnership Alliance.

The details: - The Wild Harvest Initiative® began in North America and is now expanding internationally. - The program aims to produce the first comprehensive, comparable assessment of wild harvest across multiple global regions. - Conservation Visions brings conservation science, sustainable use research and international leadership to the partnership. - FACE brings a network of national hunting associations and experience in European wildlife management. - The collaboration will examine the economic, social and ecological significance of harvesting wild animals and plants. - The research is intended to strengthen the scientific foundation for understanding wildlife resources as contributors to conservation, rural livelihoods, cultural traditions and human well-being. - Conservation Visions President Shane Mahoney said wild harvesting is one of humanity's oldest relationships with nature, but its contributions to modern society remain underrecognized. - FACE President Laurens Hoedemaker said hunters across Europe harvest wild food, manage habitats and monitor wildlife, but the full value of that work is rarely reflected in decision-making data. - Hoedemaker said the initiative will help measure what sustainable wild harvest contributes to biodiversity, rural economies and healthy local food.

Between the lines: - The partnership is also a push for recognition: both organizations want sustainable hunting and wild harvesting treated as measurable parts of conservation policy, not side issues. - The emphasis on science-based and fair wildlife policy suggests the effort is aimed at shaping debates over how nature is managed on the ground and who is counted in that management. - The repeated focus on data signals a gap between the on-the-ground work of hunters and the information used by regulators.

What's next: - FACE and Conservation Visions will build out the European data collection and analysis needed to expand the Wild Harvest Initiative®. - The partners will use the research effort to develop a stronger evidence base for future conservation and wildlife policy discussions. - The broader partnership alliance is expected to keep growing as the initiative expands internationally.

The bottom line: - Conservation Visions and FACE are trying to turn sustainable wild harvest into a more visible, measurable part of Europe's conservation and food-system conversation. - More information is available in Conservation Visions and FACE.