By 2030, Dominica aims to ensure that sustainable use of wild species supports food security, livelihoods and cultural values, with benefit-sharing arrangements that prioritise local communities. The target covers terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine wild species and the products and services they support. It promotes sustainable resource management, community enterprises and equitable access to benefits while maintaining the species and ecosystems on which these activities depend. Implementation will recognise and encourage customary sustainable use, traditional knowledge and cultural practices, including those of the Kalinago people.

Dominica aims to establish a framework for sustainable wild species livelihoods and equitable benefit sharing. Participatory assessments will identify priority resources, their condition and uses, and the communities most dependent on them. This information will guide community resource-use plans and support for sustainable biodiversity-based activities, products and services. Priority actions include strengthening community management and co-management where appropriate, restoring culturally and economically important resources, and supporting sustainable harvesting and local enterprise development. Training, value addition and improved market access will help increase local benefits while maintaining use within ecological limits. Benefit-sharing arrangements will be developed transparently with participating communities, recognising customary sustainable use and Kalinago governance, knowledge and priorities. Implementation will promote equitable opportunities for women, youth and people in vulnerable situations. Monitoring will track resource condition, sustainability of use and the distribution of benefits.

Access to financial resources: Implementation requires accessible financing for community enterprises, resource restoration, skills development, market access and monitoring.

Biodiversity and health: Sustainable use of wild species supports food security, nutrition, cultural well-being and resilient livelihoods.

Collective effort towards the targets: The target promotes coordinated contributions across public institutions, communities, civil society, research organisations and businesses.

Consistency with international agreements or instruments: Implementation supports the Convention on Biological Diversity’s conservation and sustainable-use objectives, including recognition of traditional knowledge and customary sustainable use.

Contribution and rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities: Implementation will recognise Kalinago rights, governance systems and knowledge, building on established engagement and supporting community participation in decisions, management and benefit sharing.

Cooperation and synergies: The target connects biodiversity conservation with food security, community development, cultural heritage, sustainable enterprise and livelihood resilience.

Different value systems: Implementation recognises the ecological, economic, cultural, spiritual and subsistence values of wild species and associated knowledge.

Ecosystem approach: Sustainable benefits depend on healthy habitats and ecological functions. Resource use planning will therefore consider ecosystem condition and connections with conservation and restoration.

Formal and informal education: Practical training and knowledge exchange will support sustainable harvesting, enterprise management, community monitoring and the transmission of cultural knowledge.

Gender: Implementation will address differences in access to resources, decision-making and benefits, promoting equitable opportunities and monitoring participation and outcomes by sex, age and community where appropriate.

Human rights-based approach: Measures will support meaningful participation, access to information and equitable benefits, while respecting rights, cultural practices and customary sustainable use.

Intergenerational equity: Sustainable resource management and knowledge transmission will help maintain food, livelihood and cultural benefits for future generations.

National circumstances, priorities and capabilities: The target reflects Dominica’s reliance on biodiversity for food, livelihoods, cultural identity and recovery from natural disasters.

Right to development: Sustainable biodiversity-based activities will support local income and economic opportunities while maintaining the resources on which development depends.

Science and innovation: Resource assessments, local knowledge and monitoring of ecological and social outcomes will guide sustainable use and improve benefit sharing arrangements.

Whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach: Implementation promotes institutional coordination and inclusive partnerships, with communities participating throughout planning, delivery and evaluation.

National Target 9 addresses the central objective of GBF Target 9 by linking sustainable use of wild species with benefits for people, particularly food security, livelihoods and cultural values. Its emphasis on benefit-sharing arrangements prioritising local communities supports equitable outcomes from biodiversity-based activities, products and services. Further development of implementation arrangements can make explicit how sustainable management will be maintained, how people in vulnerable situations and those most dependent on biodiversity will be prioritised, and how customary sustainable use by the Kalinago people and local communities will be protected and encouraged. These elements are not all explicit in the target title; but this does not imply their exclusion. Implementation will contribute to maintaining nature’s benefits to people while supporting conservation of the wild species and ecosystems that sustain those benefits.

No formal non-State actor commitments have been identified towards this national target. Opportunities for voluntary contributions and partnerships can be further developed during implementation.

Additional financing, technical assistance and capacity building are needed to support sustainable community enterprises and equitable benefit sharing arrangements. Priorities include participatory resource assessments, information on community dependence and benefits, sustainable-use plans, and monitoring of resource condition and social outcomes. Investment is also needed in resource restoration, community nurseries, practical skills, value addition and market access. Accessible funding and technical support will help communities develop and manage initiatives that reflect their priorities. Stronger coordination and sustained community participation will support delivery, while accounting for data limitations, financing constraints and post-disaster livelihood pressures.