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‘Stop illegal wildlife trade’

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IN a bid to eradicate illegal wildlife trade, the UK recently hosted an international conference on illegal wildlife trade which brought together global leaders.
More than 80 countries attended the conference.
Illegal wildlife trade is a huge transnational crime, killing about 20 000 elephants and 1 400 rhinos annually.
Zimbabwe has not been spared of illegal wildlife trade as over 109 elephants were were poisoned by cyanide at Hwange National Park in 2013.
Ivory has a huge market in Asia for medicinal and aphrodisiac purposes.
Countries with a wide wildlife base therefore are under threat from the Asian countries which are ready consumers of such products.
In her address at the London conference, Minister for Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Harriett Baldwin said illegal wildlife trade is an economic issue that must be addressed.
Said Baldwin: “This is an economic issue at community level, it’s an economic issue at national level and it’s an economic issue at the transnational level and it is an economic issue for us as a world.
“We managed to cause a significant reduction we heard earlier in terms of the value of some of the commodities.
“We’ve got to continue working on that so that we dampen demand for these commodities. But, at the heart of this work, we have got to find an activity that is more valuable for communities to take part in (than participating) in the illegal wildlife trade.”
Zimbabwe’s Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Prisca Mupfumira, who attended the conference, requested assistance in the implementation of commitments and actions which have already been made to combat illegal wildlife trade.
Minister Mupfumira also requested assistance in strengthening capacity to deal with wildlife cybercrime and financial intelligence monitoring systems at national level, training and exposure to various tools that have been developed to facilitate better co-ordination and information sharing on illegal wildlife trade.
Her other concern was strengthening Zimbabwe’s capacity to deal with wildlife law-enforcement inside the protected area network.
Said Minister Mupfumira: “Zimbabwe intends to officially launch the International Consortium for Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) process at a national level and build capacity of the state agencies involved in the process like customs, police and immigration. Mobilisation at national level to create awareness of national obligations and commitments in such a process was initiated. However, progress has been slow due to budgetary constraints to convene meetings for awareness building and consultations with key stakeholders.”
Also speaking at the London conference, British Conservative Party politician serving as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Jeremy Hunt said… efforts must be made to end wildlife trade.
“If anyone asks why we devote efforts and resources to combating the illegal wildlife trade, when millions of human beings still endure war, hunger and disease, then here is the answer: This trade threatens some of the poorest people in the world, destroying livelihoods, empowering criminals and depriving governments of the means to provide essential services,” said Hunt.
“The interests of humanity cannot be separated from the interests of the natural world.
“The one depends on the other.
“If we fail to act, quite simply we will never be forgiven.”
Commenting on eradicating wildlife trade, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, said it was the duty of nations to inspire the next generation of young leaders to value nature as an economic asset.
Said Prince William: “It is heartbreaking to think that by the time my children George, Charlotte and Louis are in their 20s, elephants, rhinos and tigers might well be extinct in the wild.
“I, for one, am not willing to look my children in the eye and say that we were the generation that let this happen on our watch.
“We must inspire the next generation of young leaders to care about nature, value it as an economic asset and help us live better together, side-by-side.
“I feel it is my duty and our collective responsibility to leave our planet in a stronger position for our children.”
The UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador Ellie Goulding said there is need to protect and safeguard wildlife.
“My own passion for the natural world is driven by a commitment to younger and future generations,” she said.
“We know the moves we make now affect their chances of being able to share the earth with the great species we have taken for granted.
“After all, as the great ocean defender Jacques Cousteau said: ‘People will only protect what they love.’
“The same is also true on land.”

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