Natural resources play an important role in terms of their contribution to local, national, regional and global economies, through tourism, forestry, fisheries, ecosystem services and other wildlife economy activities, as well, to human health through the provision of air, water, and food. With growing human populations, increasing poverty and the need to grow economies, it is ever more important to account for, and to understand, the significant contributions that wildlife resources make to local and national economies, and the importance of their conservation, and investment in them, to ensure that this continues in the long-term. Natural resources and wildlife are traditionally seen as costs to the government and not as assets in a national economy. This approach has seen limited government resources invested in supporting wildlife resources and their conservation, or to developing the wildlife economy. If this is to change there is a need to demonstrate to governments and other stakeholders the current (and potential) contribution of wildlife resources to local, national and regional economies, as well as the linkages between a well-conceived wildlife economy and the health of critical ecosystems and wildlife populations.

The wildlife economy encompasses the businesses and economic activities that either directly depend on wildlife for their core business or that contribute to the conservation of wildlife through their activities, with wildlife here defined as all terrestrial and marine fauna and flora (adapted from the South African Biodiversity Economy definition). 

In this report, wildlife is defined as:

“Wildlife includes indigenous, undomesticated terrestrial and marine animals, plants, and other life forms”

And the wildlife economy is defined as:

“The Wildlife Economy uses wildlife, plants and animals (marine and terrestrial), as an economic asset to create value that aligns with conservation objectives and delivers sustainable growth and economic development” The wildlife economy includes the sustainable utilisation of indigenous wildlife to support economic development, while still contributing to conservation. Activities within the wildlife economy may be consumptive, or non-consumptive.