Our
Story
The International Multistakeholder Association for Reptile Conservation (IMARC) defines sustainable reptile‑skin supply chains as systems that are legal, fully traceable to source, capable of monitoring and maintaining healthy wild reptile populations, and committed to production practices that support animal‑welfare principles and fair working conditions. IMARC also works to minimise environmental and social risks across the supply chain.
Our Mission and Vision
IMARC’s mission and vision are to advance responsible and sustainable supply chains for reptile skins by ensuring legality, full traceability to source, effective monitoring of wild populations, and production practices that support animal welfare and fair working conditions. The Association aims to create a global reptile trade that supports social justice, strengthens economic development, protects biodiversity, and reduces environmental and social risks across the supply chain.
Our Impact
At IMARC, we aim to support responsible practices across all types of farming and processing facilities, from small operations to large enterprises. Our focus is on the areas that matter most for environmental stewardship, animal welfare and social responsibility. We recognise that every facility operates in a different context, so our approach balances the need for strong standards with the practical realities of local capability. Our goal is to make responsible production achievable, practical and continuously improving for everyone involved.
Responsible Business
Animal Welfare
At IMARC, we recognise a core ethical responsibility to ensure that all human–reptile interactions are humane. This includes reducing pain and suffering and preventing any form of cruelty. Our goal is to support a trade that produces reptile‑derived products in a sustainable, responsible and ethical way.
Strong welfare standards are essential to achieving this. Good practices not only protect animals but also contribute to the quality and reliability of the products created. Poor treatment can compromise both, affecting long‑term commercial viability. For the trade to remain sustainable, high welfare standards must be central to every stage of production.
In 2018, in partnership with the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office (SFVO), IMARC published “Welfare Principles for Snakes and Monitor Lizards in the Southeast Asian Skin Trade”. This guide was written specifically for stakeholders engaged in the Asian reptile trade, with a focus on the main snake and lizard species currently involved in the exotic skin trade. The guide is primarily intended to help stakeholders who have no coherent access to the large volume of information and skill necessary for the implementation of Science-based Animal Welfare (SBAW) standards. It provides practical guidance as well as a summary of how the trade currently works and was produced and underwent review by international experts in reptile biology, welfare, and veterinary care.
Download the guidance here
At IMARC, we recognise the importance of upholding internationally accepted human rights and supporting safe, fair and respectful working conditions. Beyond protecting fundamental rights, we aim to help create operational environments that enhance the quality of life for workers, their families and the communities connected to reptile‑related industries. We also understand that many parts of the reptile sector have developed in remote or marginalised regions, often with long‑standing local practices. Our aim is to respect these contexts and accommodate them wherever possible, while still promoting progressive, sustainable and rights‑based standards.
Livelihoods
Biodiversity
At IMARC, we believe that environmental responsibility begins with a commitment to protecting the natural ecosystems that reptile species depend on. Biodiversity is not an abstract concept for this sector; it is the foundation that allows the trade to exist at all. Safeguarding habitats, maintaining healthy wild populations and supporting resilient ecosystems are central to our mission and to the long‑term future of the industry.
The reptile sector sits at the intersection of several major environmental challenges, including biodiversity loss and the increasing pressure on natural resources. By promoting strong environmental standards, we aim to help preserve these ecosystems, protect species and enable communities to benefit from sustainable, well‑managed natural environments.
Our aim is to help the sector minimise impacts, strengthen ecological outcomes and contribute meaningfully to the protection and restoration of the environments that sustain both reptiles and the communities that depend on them.
