Poachers killed half Mozambique's elephants in five years

Government-backed survey shows elephant numbers declined from 20,000 to 10,300 due to illegal wildlife trade and lack of governance. Poachers have killed nearly half of Mozambique’s elephants for their ivory in the past five years, the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society said on Tuesday

Mozambique government-backed survey showed a dramatic 48% decline in elephant numbers from just over 20,000 to an estimated 10,300, the WCS said.

“This decline is due to rampant elephant poaching in the country’s most important elephant populations,” the WCS said. Remote northern Mozambique, which includes the Niassa National Reserve, was the hardest hit, accounting for 95% of elephant deaths, reducing the population from an estimated 15,400 to an estimated 6,100.

The figures can be explained by the arrival of poachers from Tanzania, where the elephant population has already been decimated, according to Alastair Nelson, director of WCS in Mozambique, whose organisation administers the Niassa Reserve.

“The major issue is one of governance. The north has always been a remote and poorly governed area, with an underlying level of corruption,” he told AFP.

“Some district police and border guards are being paid off, some even rent out their own firearms.”

The aerial survey found that in some parts of the country nearly half the elephants seen were already dead.

Elephant tusks are prized in Asia, where they are carved into ivory statuettes and jewelry.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/26/poachers-killed-half-mozambiques-elephants-in-five-years

TRAFFIC’s e-commerce monitoring reveals shifting illegal wildlife trade market in China

According to TRAFFIC’s research into the Chinese-language online retail community, transactions for illegal wildlife products, particularly ivory, are shifting away from online retailers and onto social media platforms.

At its peak in March 2012, more than 4,000 new advertisements per month for illegal wildlife products were appearing online on Chinese language online retail websites, finds the new report. More than half of the illegal products offered comprised ivory items.  However, following advertisement removal and blocking of code words used to describe illegal products through regular exchange with e-commerce and enforcement agencies by TRAFFIC, this fell dramatically to around 1,500 from July 2012 and has remained around that level ever since.

“Major online retailers in China have been important allies in efforts to stamp out illegal wildlife trade, and their efforts have resulted in a sustained decrease in advertisements for such goods, yet the high number of such advertisements remains of concern and we are also seeing a shift in the way such transactions now take place,” said Zhou Fei, Head of TRAFFIC’s China Office. 

Read more : http://www.traffic.org/home/2015/3/3/traffics-e-commerce-monitoring-reveals-shifting-illegal-wild.html

Poaching and illegal wildlife trade threaten tourism and development options in Africa

Panelists at an event held in Berlin, Germany, during ITB — the world’s largest tourism fair concurred  that record poaching levels of rhinos and elephants are not only threatening the basis of tourism but also tourism-based development options in Africa.

 

In his opening remarks, Hon. Moses Kalongashawa, Minister of Tourism and Culture in Malawi, and Chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ministers responsible for Tourism noted that the issue of poaching is of huge concern and Africa is losing wildlife at record rates each year to poachers and illegal trade. He said this was because of the involvement of organized criminal syndicates in elephant and rhino poaching, with criminals now deploying advanced technologies ranging from night vision scopes, silenced weapons, darting equipment and helicopters, to carry out their missions.

For more information visit: http://www.traffic.org/home/2014/3/7/poaching-and-illegal-wildlife-trade-threaten-tourism-and-dev.html

WCS Statement on Declaration Signed by Governments Participating in the London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade

London Declaration Sends Strong Message: Wildlife Trafficking is a Serious Crime on a Global Scale

 The following statement was released today by Dr. John G. Robinson, WCS Chief Conservationist and Executive Vice President of Conservation and Science:

“We greatly welcome the London Declaration on Illegal Wildlife Trade, which today sends a strong message across the globe: Wildlife trafficking is a serious crime, on a global scale, and must be tackled at all levels as a matter of urgency. The declaration calls for a global crackdown on wildlife crime and on the corruption and organized criminal activities that feed it.

“WCS applauds the leadership of the Royal Foundation and the Duke of Cambridge, the Prince of Wales, and the government of the United Kingdom in convening this important conference and guiding it towards a positive outcome that will help advance efforts to stop the scourge of wildlife trafficking.

“The declaration makes it clear that trafficking in wildlife, and the illegal killing that supplies it, go beyond a breakdown in governance systems or a crime committed by the uninformed few. These are serious crimes committed by well-financed and well-armed syndicates with complete disregard for the well-being of people and wildlife. The declaration calls for governments to crack down on these criminals with stiffer penalties and more aggressive investigation and prosecution, including addressing the corruption and bribery that facilitate these crimes. It further calls for addressing this crisis at all points of the supply chain – where the animal is killed, where the parts are trafficked, and where the products are purchased.

For more information visit: http://www.wcs.org/press/press-releases/illegal-wildlife-trade-declaration.aspx