Exotic leather demand boosts conservation, expert argues
16/09/2019
This group, the Crocodile Specialist Group, has 650 members in 64 countries and works on projects involving 26 different species in 99 countries. Its president, Professor Grahame Webb, told the Sustainable Leather Forum in Paris in mid-September that demand for crocodile skins for use in luxury leathergoods is good for conservation.
Professor Webb has published hundreds of academic papers and a number of books. He has held appointments at the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales and Charles Darwin University in Australia’s Northern Territory.
In Paris, he said: “It may seem counter-intuitive, but it’s true: the use of exotic skins in fashion is a powerful tool in conservation. Leather drives conservation.”
He explained that in Australia’s Northern Territory there are only 250,000 people and around 100,000 crocodiles. He pointed out that the relationship between the human and crocodile populations has passed through a number of different phases. In 1971, for example, a policy of eliminating the reptiles at any opportunity because of the danger they represented reduced the total number of crocodiles in the state to 1% of previous levels and strict protection measures came in.
Within 10 years, the crocodile population had grown again to previous levels and, once again, presented a risk to humans, so culling began and the population levelled out at 100,000 animals in 2015.
“Our conclusion from this experience is that we need a sustainable wildlife economy that benefits people,” Professor Webb said. He said that 30% of people in Northern Territory are aboriginal Australians. Projects that help conserve the crocodile population across the state are now bringing important economic benefits to communities of aboriginal people, providing the right balance.
“Tolerance, respect and understanding of all people, cultures and traditions are what we need to drive conservation,” he concluded.
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