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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 9:51 pm
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Results for wildlife crime (africa)
6 results foundAuthor: Cadman, Mike Title: Consuming Wild Life: The Illegal Exploitation of Wild Animals In South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia: A Preliminary Report Summary: The illegal killing of wild animals poses an urgent threat to their survival and involves enormous cruelty, untold suffering, pain and death for individual animals, family groups and social networks. The raison d’etre for this report was, therefore, to attempt to get an overview of the current scale of illegal killing of wild life in South Africa and the southern African region more broadly. This Report represents the groundwork – a foundation to build on. The need for further research is extensive. However, this preliminary investigation clearly reveals a startling picture – one of enormous suffering, an inability by state agencies to adequately monitor the illegal killing of wild animals, a lack of centralised statistics and data, an uncoordinated response from authorities, insufficient enforcement and a general way of thinking that promotes killing instead of protection and respect. South Africa and its neighbours have flourishing illegal wild animal markets and in South Africa, particularly, this is compounded by its geographical location and relatively sophisticated infrastructure. Indeed, poaching is taking place in an increasingly organised scale. Africa has seen the unprecedented annihilation of wild animals as a result of poaching and it is being fuelled by the profits that are made by commercial wildlife traffickers (often to satisfy consumer demand abroad) and uncontrolled commercial exploitation. This is part of a global problem which according to Interpol is worth some US$12 billion a year. Throughout Africa, money is the driving force of this illegal trade and it is motivated by greed and aided by corruption, inadequate ranger staffing, public attitudes to wildlife, lack of public awareness, lack of data and lack of adequate law enforcement. There are three general categories of consumptive use of wild animals: commercial trophy hunting, illegal poaching (including subsistence hunting), and commercial farming. Nearly all illegal poaching is commercial. For purposes of this report ‘poaching’ is defined as hunting wild animals for food and entrepreneurial exploitation, including the bushmeat trade for local and urban trade, trafficking (locally and cross-border) and trade in live animals and body parts. The traditional medicines market is an important component in the illegal wildlife trade. The killers come in a variety of forms: they may be local people, they may be using snares, they maybe using guns or they may be the lowest link in a massive international mafia chain of wildlife trade that is today almost as big as the drug trade. Poachers are thus often highly organised armed gangs and hardened criminals. Methods of poaching include: shooting, snaring (using wire, cables etc.), gin traps, poisoning and the use of packs of dogs. It is generally believed that wild animals are safe in Reserves. However, research has revealed that many of the reserves in southern Africa are heavily targeted by armed poachers. Of concern is that in some instances the park rangers themselves are poaching. A recent research study undertaken by Professor Greg L. Warchol shows “numerous instances of rangers poaching for bushmeat, elephant ivory and rhino horn. In a Kruger National Park-sanctioned ‘culling’ effort, rangers authorised to kill 120 impala illegally killed an additional 60 for sale to a local butcher shop. One Kruger ranger was arrested for shooting 20 white rhinos and another admitted to killing at least 46 over 12 years to pay his gambling debts.” Poaching, trafficking and the bushmeat trade continue to thrive and expand in the region because there are flawed efforts to combat it. In particular, it is as a result of: The ‘sustainable’ and consumptive use context, i.e., the belief that animals are a resource to be used rather than protected. An illegal activity occurs within a framework where the same activity (killing for food or for profit), is legal. The key to this problem is that animals are seen as property, whether the property of the landowner, of governments or of rural communities. This commodification of sentient beings implies their exploitation. Inadequate leadership from government – insufficient priority is being given to wildlife crime. Protecting wildlife is often viewed as a low priority. Poor conceptualisation and implementation of non-consumptive poverty relief and development projects. Wildlife laws are too weak, ambiguous and contradictory. Prosecutors and magistrates are often unfamiliar with wildlife laws. Strong enforcement and compliance is lacking. Low levels of staffing and capacity. Lack of effective anti-poaching strategies, nationally and regionally. Effective public awareness-raising is wanting. This report strongly indicates that urgent action is needed. It is imperative that authorities in the region address this grave situation and take effective steps to prevent wildlife crime and protect wild animals in the region so as to: 1. Create and coordinate long-term programmes and strategies at a national and regional level; 2. Reduce national demand; 3. Mitigate poaching activities; 4. Expose the extent of poaching and trade; 5. Gather intelligence for future analytical reports and to identify enforcement priorities; 6. Determine what animals are being targeted. Animal Rights Africa therefore recommends that governments in the region need to implement the following strategies: Establish national and regional Wildlife Crime Databases. Review policies and legislation. Review policy of ‘sustainable use’ and consumptive use. Ensure that legislation and judicial systems support prosecutions and higher penalties. Build capacity, increase numbers, train and support rangers. Forge partnerships; between government agencies, with NGOs and intergovernmentally. Actively seek participation of civil society. Promote public awareness and education which is aimed at protecting and respecting animals in the wild. Investigate non-consumptive ways of addressing hunger. Details: Animal Rights Africa; Zwe African Wild Life, 2007. 43p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 31, 2011 at: http://www.animalrightsafrica.org/Archive/Consuming_Wild_Life_290307_final.pdf Year: 2007 Country: Africa URL: https://docplayer.net/21741902-Consuming-wild-life-the-illegal-exploitation-of-wild-animals-in-south-africa-zimbabwe-and-zambia-a-preliminary-report.html Shelf Number: 122568 Keywords: Illegal TradeOrganized CrimePoachingWildlife Crime (Africa) |
Author: Stiles, Daniel Title: Elephant Meat Trade in Central Africa: Summary Report Summary: An initial assessment of the 2001-2009 carcass database of the CITES Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme suggests that the trade in elephant meat, especially in the central African subregion, may be an important factor underlying the illegal killing of elephants. The dynamics, scale and impact of the trade in elephant meat are not well understood and more information is required, both to improve the information in MIKE and the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) and to assist with the development of appropriate management solutions. In the forested countries of the central African subregion, a complex and interconnected variety of development activities take place, such as timber harvesting, mining, building of supporting infrastructure (e.g. roads, schools, clinics) and the inflow of foreign nationals. These attract an influx of immigrants seeking work, both national and foreign, who depend heavily on bushmeat for protein. With little law enforcement capacity and weak governance structures, there is a very real threat to many local elephant populations. At present the primary factors and dynamics in the illegal offtake of elephants in Central Africa and, in particular, the use of not only ivory but also meat, are assumed but not well understood. A deeper knowledge of the scale and extent of the killing and how the ivory and meat markets are interlinked is urgently needed. Therefore gaining greater understanding of these trade dynamics could help to ascertain the key drivers behind the loss of elephants and other species. African elephant range States of the Central African subregion comprise Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Republic of Congo (ROC), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. CITES MIKE has requested the assistance of the IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group (AfESG) to implement the ‘Elephant Meat Trade in Central Africa Project’. Objectives The overall objective of the study is to enhance knowledge of contemporary elephant meat market dynamics, patterns and trends in Central African countries by undertaking an elephant meat trade impact study. The results aim to establish a baseline data set of variables that can subsequently be monitored to assess trends in meat and ivory trade at the site level. The findings of this study also aim to offer contributions to satisfy elements in CITES Decision 13.11 ‘Bushmeat’, Decision 14.78 (Rev. CoP15), which concern updating information relating to the status of elephant conservation and the data that MIKE is collecting, and Decision 15.74, which is an evaluation of the need to revise CITES Resolution 10.10 (Rev. CoP 15) ‘Trade in Elephant Specimens’. Details: Gland, Switzerland: International union for Conservation of Nature, 2011. 102p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 5, 2012 at: http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/ssc_op_045.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Africa URL: http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/ssc_op_045.pdf Shelf Number: 125468 Keywords: BushmeatElephantsIllegal HuntingWildlife Crime (Africa) |
Author: Courouble, Marianne Title: More Ivory than Elephants: Domestic Ivory Markets in Three West African Countries Summary: Surveys of African ivory markets in 1999 identified Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), Dakar (Senegal) and Lagos (Nigeria) as the most significant ivory carving centres in West Africa (Martin and Stiles, 2000). This report serves to update the situation in these three countries and to assess whether or not any progress has been made in establishing effective control of their domestic ivory markets. The following results stem from field surveys which were conducted by two researchers between 11th-30th June 2002. Details: Cambridge, UK: TRAFFIC International, 2003. 83p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 11, 2012 at: www.traffic.org/species-reports/traffic_species_mammals24.pdf Year: 2003 Country: Africa URL: Shelf Number: 125984 Keywords: Animal PoachingElephantsIvoryWildlife Crime (Africa) |
Author: Milledge, Simon Title: Rhino Horn Stockpile Management: Minimum standards and best practices from east and southern Africa Summary: This document presents recommended practices for rhino horn stockpile management and is based upon best examples of management currently employed throughout east and southern Africa. A wide variety of rhino horn stockpile management policies and practices are found throughout Africa. In this regard, there is no single correct method, and for certain issues there is no need to reinvent the wheel when trying to recommend particular aspects of stockpile management. However, without exception, every rhino range State could benefit from the lessons learnt and best practices from neighbouring countries. During 2001 to 2003, TRAFFIC reviewed the rhino horn stockpile management practices employed throughout east and southern Africa. Based upon this regional review, a stakeholder workshop was held in 2004, which was attended by government officers directly responsible for managing all of the largest horn stockpiles in Africa, including Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal province, Limpopo province, Mpumalanga province, North West Parks and Tourism Board, and Kruger National Park), Swaziland and Zimbabwe. This document is the main outcome from the workshop, consolidating available knowledge and summarizing recommended best practices for all aspects of horn stockpile management. It covers the collection of horns from the field, measuring and marking, registration, storage and security, audits and reconciliation, and several other important components of stockpile management for both State and privatelyowned horns. This document contains recommended minimum standards that should be implemented in all countries, as well as optimal practices for those striving for the best possible benchmark. It is hoped that any nation wishing to improve any or all of the above ingredients for stockpile management may refer to this document. Details: Dar es Salam, Tanzania: TRAFFIC East/Southern Africa, 2005. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 21, 2013 at: www.traffic.org Year: 2005 Country: Africa URL: Shelf Number: 128056 Keywords: Animal PoachingIvoryRhinocerosWildlife Crime (Africa)Wildlife Management |
Author: Blanc, J.J. Title: African Elephant Status Report 2007: An Update from the African Elephant Database Summary: The AESR 2007 presents the latest information on elephant population estimates and range at the site, national, regional and continental levels. This edition presents some important new features. New tables assist in interpreting the possible reasons why estimates have changed since the previous edition; comparisons are made for methodologically comparable estimates at the regional level; and a system for prioritizing has been developed to guide governments and funding agencies in planning future surveys. Details: Gland, Switzerland: IUCN (International Union for Conservation of nature and Natural Resources, 2007. 276p. Source: Internet Resource: http://www.african-elephant.org/aed/pdfs/aesr2007.pdf#nameddest=intro Year: 2007 Country: Africa URL: http://www.african-elephant.org/aed/pdfs/aesr2007.pdf#nameddest=intro Shelf Number: 128057 Keywords: Animal PoachingElephantsIvoryWildlife ConservationWildlife Crime (Africa)Wildlife Management |
Author: WildAid Title: Rhino Horn Demand Summary: The rhinoceros has existed for over 50 million years, and modern rhino species have been in existence for over 15 million years. Many rhino species are extinct, and only five species remain today. Today, the global rhino population has fallen from an estimated 75,000 in the early 1970s to less than 30,000. Several hundred thousand rhinos once roamed across Africa. Between 1970 and 1995, the black rhino population declined from 65,000 to 2,410. All rhino species are critically endangered, except the Southern White Rhino subspecies, which recovered from less than 100 in the early 1900s to 20,400 individuals today. Details: San Francisco, CA: WildAid, 2014. 7p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 12, 2014 at: http://www.wildaid.org/sites/default/files/resources/WEBReportRhinoHornDemand2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Africa URL: http://www.wildaid.org/sites/default/files/resources/WEBReportRhinoHornDemand2014.pdf Shelf Number: 133025 Keywords: Animal Poaching Ivory Rhino Horn Rhinoceros Wildlife Conservation Wildlife Crime (Africa) |