The fight against poaching

Ian Khama | Monday December 9, 2013 14:16

The ever increasing world population and the need to feed and house all, is putting an increasing pressure on all our natural resources. There is a growing acceptance, based on indisputable scientific evidence, that we are pushing the very boundaries of our Planet and thereby threatening the health and wellbeing of human kind both now and in the future.

Africa is no exception to this. The need for forward thinking people to develop and implement new and creative sustainable ideas is needed more than ever, as continuing to do things the way we have in the past is not an option.

It is an inescapable reality that the ever-increasing loss of ecosystems and services, exacerbated by the growing impacts of climate change, is putting the lives and livelihoods of our citizens at risk.

Africa can escape from its current challenges by being able to sustainably utilise its natural capital, which our communities live so closely to. Wild species of flora and fauna form an integral part of this natural capital and while we are aware of the potential value of using our wildlife, it is also clear that unless these highly-valued resources are protected, very few will derive benefits from their exploitation.  

Those engaged in illegal exportation and importation of our wildlife will thrive, while those living in close proximity and dependent on these same resources will suffer endless opportunity costs.  Wildlife crime has become a modern day international problem, usually driven by people that have never lived close to the natural resources that they are exploiting. Today it is the fourth most lucrative transnational crime behind trafficking of illegal drugs, humans and arms. Its rise in recent years has been unprecedented, threatening to overturn conservation gains hard won over many years. Sadly, Africa’s elephants have not escaped this challenge as they have increasingly become the focus of this crime.  It is this challenge that brings us together today at the African Elephant Summit, to address collectively. We all know that many action plans and institutional frameworks have been developed over the years, covering many aspects of the illegal ivory value chain.  However, as the trade becomes increasingly controlled by international networks of organised criminals, challenges at the national level grow. Our environmental ministries are often overwhelmed, the need of collaboration, cooperation and commitment of other sectors of governments, such as police, defence forces, finance, customs, the judiciary and foreign affairs to help address and hopefully overcome this challenge, has increased.  This is not a problem that can be addressed by environmental agencies alone. The growing trade in illegal ivory is a national issue, not a sectoral issue, for many of our countries; this requires leadership, commitment and direction at the highest political level to ensure that the necessary resources are made available for a highly integrated approach to law enforcement.  Botswana is proud that it is home to a healthy elephant population.  While we do have challenges in managing the impacts of our elephants on their habitats and conflict with local communities, we consider ourselves fortunate that illegal off-take has not yet become a serious threat to our elephants.  But we are not complacent. We know that all this could change – and quickly - if incentives to poach increase, or our deterrent capacities decline. We have deployed in this country all our security forces with our Department of Wildlife to guard against this threat. In response to the growing challenge, the African range States joined forces, developed and committed to the African Elephant Action Plan, which provides a good framework for dedicated action to conserve the species.  Some countries are ramping up enforcement, both in protected areas and at their ports and borders.  Others have increased the deterrent penalties for poaching or ivory trading.  Awareness programmes aimed at reducing both the demand and the illegal supply have also gained support, collaboration and momentum.  Earlier this year, CITES provisions were strengthened considerably, with the eight countries most involved in the large-scale ivory trade, developing and implementing concrete action plans, which should be completed by June 2014.  Despite this unprecedented level of awareness, the truth is that we have not as yet delivered the necessary response – a response that keeps pace with the pressures we now face.  We have not come together here in Botswana to reinvent the wheel.  We have gathered to secure demonstrable commitment to undertake those measures that have been deemed urgent across range, transit and consumer countries. The scale of the illegal ivory trade has clearly increased, while in some places, we may not immediately see the impacts of this trade on our elephant populations, due to shortcomings and limitations of our monitoring abilities. The fact is that this level of illegal off-take is unsustainable.  In 2012, it was estimated that a minimum of 15,000 elephants were illegally killed across monitored sites in Africa. The total number would certainly be a lot higher, if we were able to fully monitor all Africa’s Elephant range states.  2013 has seen an unprecedented number of large-scale ivory seizures, well above all previous years. I am reminded of a quote from the French philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre: “Once we know and are aware, we are responsible for our action and our inaction. We can do something about it or ignore it. Either way, we are still responsible.” Our window of opportunity to respond is closing and if we do not stem the tide, future generations will condemn our inability or our unwillingness to act.  Your attendance at this meeting, demonstrates to me that you agree the current situation must change and warrants our urgent attention and our collective commitment to action. We have before us a set of urgent measures, which build on existing commitments.  These measures have undergone an extensive consultation process, in which 18 governments and many other organisations and individuals around the world have actively participated, by providing detailed advice and comments. A strong momentum from all over the world is developing to turn this tide and many nations and individuals are calling for solutions that are implementable and will work.  It is now time for Africa and Asia to join forces to protect this universally valued species.