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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
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Results for wildlife crime (mozambique)
1 results foundAuthor: Milliken, Tom Title: No Peace for Elephants: Unregulated domestic ivory markets in Angola and Mozambique Summary: Recent reports suggest that Angola is fast emerging as an important country in the illegal trade in African Elephant Loxodonta africana ivory (Milliken et al., 2004). For the most part, however, the country’s wildlife trade remains poorly understood. Owing to a prolonged civil war that only ended with the signing of a peace agreement on 4 April 2002, there have been no systematic surveys of Angola’s wildlife resources for over three decades. This study marks a first attempt to conduct a spot check and assess the ivory trade in Luanda, Angola’s bustling capital and major port city on the Atlantic Ocean. From 4 to 10 June 2005, TRAFFIC researchers visited retail outlets and craft markets in and around Luanda to collect information on the amount of ivory available for sale, ivory prices and sources, and other trade dynamics. As information relating to Angola’s legislation on the hunting of elephants and trade in ivory was not readily available, investigating the current legal status of the species and trade in elephant products was an important aspect of the survey. The following results derive from this effort: • The Government of Angola, through its National Assembly, formally approved the country’s membership in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) on 17 January 2001, however, this decision has yet to be gazetted. Moreover, the Minister of Foreign Affairs has failed to file an instrument of accession with the Swiss Government, the requisite procedure for becoming a member of the Convention. Finally, it remains unclear to what extent the Angolan authorities have apprised the CITES Secretariat of these developments and sought guidance to complete the process. Consequently, with the accession of Lesotho to CITES on 30 December 2003, Angola now remains the only southern African country that is not a Party to CITES. • Current legislation relating to the hunting of elephants and the trade in elephant products in Angola dates back half a century to the colonial era with Decree 40.040 of 1955 and Decree 2:873 of 1957. The fees relating to the issuance of hunting licences and penalties for the illegal killing of animals, however, have subsequently been updated, most recently through Decree 36/99 of 1999. Regardless, there is an urgent need to review and update the substance of Angola’s legislation that relates to wildlife in general and wildlife trade and CITES in particular. • Implementation and enforcement responsibilities for the country’s wildlife laws lie principally with the Institute of Forestry Development in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Regardless, very little, if any, meaningful enforcement has taken place in recent years, largely as a result of the absence of political will within government and a lack of human capacity and resources. • Despite legislation stating that the possession of ivory without proper documentation is illegal, a total of 41 retail outlets were observed selling ivory products that collectively were estimated to weigh a total of 1 573.4 kg during this survey. About 90% of this ivory was found at the Mercado do Artesanato (Artists’ Market) at Benfica, south of Luanda. • Little information was gathered on the presence and operation of ivory carving workshops in Luanda, but it appears that most local craftsmen work from their homes. Further, it appears that significant quantities of ivory are being carved in neighbouring Congo Basin countries to the north and routinely imported into the Angolan market in violation of CITES. • Observations of local conservationists and long-term residents suggest that the ivory trade in Luanda has increased dramatically in recent years, possibly doubling in scale within the last year. By the same token, the majority of retail traders indicated that Luanda represented a growing market for ivory products, and that such business was generally good. • Raw ivory appears to be relatively easy to acquire for vendors in the main market, with prices ranging from USD35 per kg up to USD100 per kg. While it is likely that some of this ivory is derived from Angolan elephants, the majority of the stock is believed to originate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The high proportion of French-speaking traders in Luanda’s principal ivory market further suggests a strong link with the ivory trade in Francophone countries in Central Africa immediately to the north of Angola, particularly DRC and Congo (Brazzaville). • There is no evidence to suggest that the conditions noted in Resolution Conf. 10.10 (Rev. CoP12) for the control of internal trade in ivory are being met or implemented in Angola. As a non-Party to the Convention, the country is under no formal obligation to CITES in this regard. Still, the continued trade in ivory has serious implications for Angola’s remaining elephant populations, which are thought to be small and highly fragmented (Blanc et al., 2003). Further, the current trade is believed to involve a persistent illegal importation of unprocessed elephant tusks and worked ivory products from neighbouring countries that are Parties to CITES. • Angolan authorities responsible for developing policy and enforcing legislation in the wildlife sector showed a genuine enthusiasm to address ivory trade issues. The desire to better monitor and protect the country’s remaining elephant populations, however, faces two significant obstacles. Firstly, the political will of senior politicians remains very much focused on social issues and rebuilding the collapsed infrastructure of the nation in the post-war period, rather than with the environment in general and wildlife in particular. This sector remains a remote secondary concern on the national agenda of priorities. Secondly, environmental institutions in Angola remain very weak and the capacity of the wildlife authorities to carry out their duties is routinely circumscribed by a lack of human and material resources. • There is a need for a protracted programme of external support to assist Angolan wildlife authorities in their efforts to build strong environmental institutions from which to protect and manage the country’s wildlife resources. Assisting Angola to complete the interrupted process of accession to CITES would be an important first step in this regard. Reviewing and updating Angola’s antiquated wildlife legislation is called for, as well as a broad programme of capacity-building and training for law enforcement personnel, including police and Customs officers. Details: Cambridge, UK: TRAFFIC International, 2006. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: TRAFFIC Online Report Series No.11: Accessed March 21, 2013 at: http://www.traffic.org/mammals/ Year: 2006 Country: Mozambique URL: http://www.traffic.org/mammals/ Shelf Number: 128060 Keywords: Animal PoachingElephantsIllegal Wildlife TradeIvoryWildlife ConservationWildlife Crime (Mozambique)Wildlife Management |