Renewable Revolution

Friday, September 25, 2015
Washington, D.C.


U.S. President Barack Obama and People’s Republic of China President Xi Jinping have announced a commitment to “take significant and timely steps to halt the domestic commercial trade of ivory” in their respective countries, according to a fact sheet released by the White House at the close of President Xi’s State visit.

The two presidents, acknowledging the importance and urgency of combating wildlife trafficking, have agreed to cooperate in bringing additional training, technical expertise, information sharing and public awareness to the poaching and wildlife trafficking crisis. The announcement comes at a time when as many as 35,000 elephants are poached every year for their tusks to supply the ivory market in China, the United States and other countries.

“We are seeing an important, public commitment from the world’s two largest economies to work together to bring an end to the elephant poaching crisis,” says Dr. Patrick Bergin, African Wildlife Foundation CEO and member of the White House Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking. “President Obama and President Xi are sending a clear message that they intend to throw the weight of their countries behind the elephant crisis.”

China and the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong are home to the largest ivory market in the world. An estimated 90 percent of ivory for sale in China and Hong Kong is reportedly illegal, with the legal trade helping to disguise the illicit industry. The legal trade further complicates law enforcement efforts to crack down on the black market. The United States is one of the world’s largest wildlife markets, and until recently domestic ivory trade was legal. The U.S. government has now enacted a near-total ban on the interstate trade and commercial import of ivory, and a number of U.S. states have banned or are working to ban intrastate trade of ivory in their states.

The announcement by Presidents Obama and Xi to deepen their cooperation to combat wildlife trafficking was confirmed in a section of a White House fact sheet released on September 25, shown here:

Wildlife Trafficking-—The United States and China, recognizing the importance and urgency of combating wildlife trafficking, commit to take positive measures to address this global challenge.  The United States and China commit to enact nearly complete bans on ivory import and export, including significant and timely restrictions on the import of ivory as hunting trophies, and to take significant and timely steps to halt the domestic commercial trade of ivory.  The two sides decided to further cooperate in joint training, technical exchanges, information sharing, and public education on combating wildlife trafficking, and enhance international law enforcement cooperation in this field.  The United States and China decided to cooperate with other nations in a comprehensive effort to combat wildlife trafficking.

“If these commitments translate into meaningful cooperation and action by these geopolitical giants on tackling poaching and wildlife trafficking, the future will be bright for Africa’s giants,” says AWF’s Bergin.

https://www.awf.org/news/china-us-agree-halt-ivory-trade





Thursday, August 27, 2015
Nairobi, Kenya


Continuing the building momentum around fighting the illicit wildlife trade, the Royal Thai Government destroyed 2.1 tons of confiscated ivory on August 26.

This follows similar ivory destruction events that have taken place throughout 2015, including in Kenya, Ethiopia, the Republic of the Congo, the United Arab Emirates, China, the United States and Mozambique.

“Increasingly governments around the world are making the very public statement that there is no future to be had in the ivory trade,” said African Wildlife Foundation CEO Dr. Patrick Bergin. “By destroying ivory, the Thai government is sending a message that ivory is only valuable when attached to living elephants, rather than as jewelry, statuettes or other trinkets. We commend the Thai government for taking this strong stance against the illegal ivory trade.”

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Thailand has become one of the largest ivory markets in the world and organized criminal syndicates are reportedly involved in trafficking ivory between Africa and Thailand. The illegal ivory trade is estimated to result in the deaths of between 25,000 and 35,000 African elephants each year.

In addition to governmental efforts to shut down the global wildlife trafficking industry, AWF has implemented a number of initiatives to stop the killing, stop the trafficking and stop the demand associated with the illegal trade. These have included:
Providing financial and technical support to partners in Africa to supplement anti-poaching efforts. Currently AWF support is enhancing protections of 32 populations of elephants, rhinos, large carnivores and great apes on the continent.

Training and deploying detection dogs to key trafficking hubs in Africa. The first class of detection dogs and handlers graduated from AWF’s Conservation Canine Program last month. They will soon be deployed to trafficking hotspots in Mombasa, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Sensitizing the judiciary and criminal investigators in African countries on wildlife trafficking and the available laws to convict known traffickers. Thus far, these judicial workshops have been held throughout Kenya, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and in Kampala, Uganda. Plans are underway to hold similar sensitization trainings in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. All reports indicate these trainings have had a visible impact on the sentencing of convicted poachers and traffickers.

Conducting a public awareness campaign in Asia and in Africa to educate the general public about wildlife trafficking. AWF and partners WildAid and Save The Elephants recently posted billboards in the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport that reminds locals and tourists not to purchase ivory in Thailand and attempt to take products out of the country. In Africa, Swahili-language billboards have been posted in Tanzania to urge citizens to protect their natural heritage against poaching.

http://www.awf.org/news/thailand-destroys-2-tons-ivory