RELAÇÕES PÚBLICAS & MARKETING DIGITAIS

The first report under the ‘Python Conservation Partnership’,  a collaboration between Kering, the International  Trade  Centre  (ITC)  and  the  Boa  and  Python  Specialist  Group  of  the  International Union for Conservation of Nature, has been presented today.   

The  “Assessment  of  Python  Breeding  Farms  Supplying  the  International  High-end  Leather  

Industry” is a study evaluating the economic feasibility and viability of captive breeding of pythons  

as a  possible element of sustainable use and conservation of the species. Its aim is to  provide  

guidance to those involved in the python trade to adopt sustainable practices when sourcing skins.   

According to the report,  python farming could help reduce pressure on wild python populations in  

Asia.  The  practice,  however,  should  be  viewed  only  as  part  of  a  holistic  approach  to  python  

conservation  and  additional  research  on  python  farming  and  trade  is  required  to  determine  its  

conservation benefits and impacts on livelihoods . The report also found that greater emphasis on  

the conservation of python species in the wild is needed.   

“It  is  encouraging  to  finally  have  some  concrete  information  about  the  feasibility  and  role  of  

farming pythons for skins, particularly given the  previous  concerns raised about  whether it was  

possible or not,”  said  Daniel Natusch, one of the authors of the report  and  member of the IUCN  

SSC Boa and Python Specialist Group. “Captive breeding is only part of a possible solution  for a  

sustainable  python  skin  trade.  We  shouldn’t  lose  sight  of  overall  conservation  goals  and  the  

greater  potential  of  wild  harvest  systems  to  encourage  conservation  of  wild  pythons  and  their  

habitats.”  

Key  recommendations  from  the  report  include  putting  in  place  systems  to  ensure  that  python  

farming  is  well  documented  and  that  any  trade  is  sustainable,  legal  and  does  not  encourage  

trafficking  from the wild under the guise of farmed  animals.  The study  also  highlights the  urgent  

need  to  develop  techniques  to  differentiate  between  captive-bred  and  wild-caught  skins.  The  

Python Conservation Partnership is currently addressing this issue by working with Viet Nam to  

research  innovative  ways  to  determine  whether  skins  are  derived  from  captive-bred  or  wild  

sources.  

“Our drive and commitment to sustainable business includes going deep into sustainability across  

our supply chains, right to our sources,” said Marie-Claire Daveu,  Chief Sustainability Officer and  

Head of international institutional affairs of Kering. “This first report and the continued work we are  

doing in the Python Conservation Partnership to enhance traceable, sustainable sourcing and the  

conservation  of  pythons  will  assist  our  sector  and  move  the  industry  towards  more  informed  

decisions in python sourcing. We will be proactive in addressing these recommendations, and in  

particular developing best practice guidelines in the PCP for captive breeding farms and training  

the suppliers we work with."  

Python  skins  are  traded  primarily  to  meet  demands  from  the  fashion  industry  to  make  luxury  

leather products, with Italy, Germany and France being the biggest importers. Skins are  also used  

for  traditional  Chinese  musical  instruments.  Indonesia,  Malaysia  and  Viet  Nam  are  the  main  

source  of  python  skins,  with  China,  Thailand  and  Viet  Nam  all  producing  python  skins  through  

farming.  

Southeast Asia’s pythons, the Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) and the Burmese Python  

(Python molurus bivittatus) -  which are two of the world’s largest snakes -  have been harvested  

from the wild for their skins for almost eight decades. Within the last 20 years, the scale of trade in  

python skins has increased significantly with  nearly 500,000 skins exported from Southeast Asian  

countries  per  year.  Continued  increase  in  demand  is  likely  to  put  significant  pressure  on  wild  

stocks, according to the study. 

by #Kering