When IWMC was established exactly ten years ago, the sustainable use of resources seemed simply like a common sense concept. We didn't characterize it as a philosophy or an ideology, relying instead on the wisdom of individuals, and particularly policy-makers, to understand that ecosystems thrive when wildlife is used in a managed and carefully sustained way.

This type of activism has its pecuniary rewards. The better known campaign groups, which characterize themselves as animal rights or animal welfare advocates, have incomes of upwards of $50 million each year, largely raised from wealthy U.S. foundations. They care little for the rights and culture of people in the poor countries that, as a result of their campaigns, are deprived of the means of sustaining their livelihoods.

IWMC has been quick to point out that the prohibition of legal trade does not eradicate illegal trade. A total ban of trade creates perverse incentives and increases the power of the black market. It contributes to the extinction of threatened species. It also creates, in many cases, serious breakdowns in the traditional activities and cultures of local people.

With limited financial resources, IWMC has been able to define the conservation debate in international forums - like CITES, FAO, CBD, IWC and ICCAT - as a choice between sustainable use and protection. We remind countries of their rights and responsibilities to use their wildlife in a wise manner. For example, five years ago, the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) to the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity recommended "the development of approaches and practices for the sustainable use of biological resources". It stated "that sustainable use is a substantive element of the thematic work programs of the Convention" and that the CBD should "promote the sustainability of resource use within [its] programs, including due consideration of needs for information, technologies, management tools, laws and incentives."

At the same time IWMC has warned industries that they face a "Divide and Conquer" opponent that picks off industries one by one. Fur farmers considered that they would be unaffected by the campaign against the use of fur from wild animals and might even benefit from the loss of a competitor. But once the campaigners had secured their victory, the farmers became the next target. IWMC finds itself in a position of urging industries to "wake up" and respond actively to the campaign groups. Yet too often, the industries fail to recognize the dangers presented by the NGOs and delay any action until it is too late.

Last year, IWMC worked with some caviar producers and importers to establish the Sturgeon Stewardship Council to promote conservation and protect the caviar industry from a powerful attack by U.S. NGOs. The campaigners are initially targeting beluga caviar. They petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the beluga as endangered, a move that has so far been resisted. However, no one doubts that the beluga action is anything other than a first step in a strategy to end the production of all wild caviar. And, once this has been achieved, sturgeon farmers will become the next targets.

IWMC has successfully framed the overall debate on the use of wildlife and presented a clear and rational alternative to the agenda presented by groups like WWF, Greenpeace, IFAW, HSUS and the myriad of others with which they collaborate.

Looking back, we are particularly pleased of the following achievements:

• Assisting several governments to craft proposed policy guidelines and legislation that prevents international regulations from interfering with their right to take care of their citizens.

• Protecting the secret ballot at CITES. We have been at the forefront of resistance to eliminate the secret ballot from the CITES decision-making process because we consider it to be an essential mechanism for protecting the sovereignty of small states against undue pressure from bigger trading countries. Of course, if these countries wish to reveal how they vote, it is up to them. But they should not be compelled to do so.

• Working for the successful CITES downlisting of elephant populations from Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe, at COP10 in Harare in 1997.

• The Symposium in Bali (1997) and Chengdu (1999) which contributed to a much better understanding of the principle of sustainable use among developing countries.

• Securing the withdrawal of WWF advertising on CNN in 1996 that several Asian countries considered racist.

IWMC has also been at the forefront of the debate on whaling. Just last year, the U.S. objected to our opening remarks highlighting the victimization of whalers in Japan. We wrote: "Japan remains the only country denied a quota by the IWC for hunting whales within its own waters. The institutionalized racism that allows the USA to hunt endangered bowhead whales while denying Japan the right to take a smaller number of abundant minke whales amounts to nothing less than victimization. In the IWC, indigenous people in Alaska apparently rank higher on the scale of humanity than Japanese people who share similar cultural and spiritual characteristics." We continue to stand by our argument and urge the  U.S. to fundamentally review its anti-whaling approach at the IWC.

Conserving, protecting, and using the planet's resources in a sustainable way requires constant vigilance and steadfast dedication. All to often, rich countries fail to understand - or choose not understand - that developing and poor nations need to have management plans for using their resources, rather than international measures that prevent their resources from being used at all. People destroy what they don't understand. For this reason, we believe that public education and international cooperation are the best antidotes for cultural racism and are the most effective means of overcoming environmental challenges.

We applaud the IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas Congress, held in Durban in September 2003, for demonstrating a strong determination to recognize the rights and needs of indigenous and local people and to engineer the way that conservation is conducted so that these people benefit, rather than suffer, from designated protected areas. IWMC advocates that the users of natural resources should be associated with any action in favor of sustainable use and conservation. That is why we make considerable efforts to involve hunters and fishermen and the trade and industry communities in sustainable use initiatives.

Although positive results have been achieved over the last ten years, much more needs to be done. It makes sense for all governments in favor of the sustainable use of natural resources to work together and support each other, whichever species is under attack from protectionism. Countries are deluding themselves if they believe they can court popularity with advocacy groups and secure some favors by opposing the sustainable use of their neighbor's wildlife. Similarly, the trade and industry sectors, as well as the hunters and fishermen, must act in a coordinated manner to overcome the organizations that oppose them, and to defeat those involved in illegal activities like poaching. This cooperation is indispensable not only at the international level but also at the national level where the public at large must be given the facts. Our Switzerland office has been central to our work in these areas. Yet, it seems that the protectionist NGOs recognize the importance of these interactions far better than those who, like us, are on the side of common sense.

The Roman philosopher, Seneca, said: "True wisdom consists of not departing from nature, but molding our conduct according to her laws and model." IWMC will continue to work to reinstate and empower traditional cultures that are tied to the land and sea, and fight for true conservation. And, to strengthen IWMC for the next ten years, we will soon enhance our ability to be an effective voice of reason in the conservation debate by opening our doors to donations and paid membership. We hope that you will continue to support the sustainable use of the world's natural resources.