Libreville, Gabon, 27th
June 2012 – In a bold move against poaching
and illegal wildlife trade, Gabon is expected
to burn its government-held ivory stockpile
today. The decision comes at a time of intense
poaching pressure in Central Africa, where
the illegal killing of elephants for ivory
is at record levels. Gabon’s President Ali
Bongo will ignite the ivory pyre later today
in Cite de Democratie.
WWF and TRAFFIC have
worked with Gabon to independently audit
its government-owned ivory stockpile before
any is destroyed, to ensure that all tusks
are accounted for and none has leaked into
illegal trade.
“Gabon has a policy
of zero tolerance for wildlife crime and
we are putting in place the institutions
and laws, to ensure this policy is enforced,”
said President Ali Bongo.
The audited ivory stock
totals 4,825 kilograms, including 1,293
piece of rough ivory mainly composed of
tusks and 17,730 pieces of worked ivory.
The overall quantity of stockpiled ivory
corresponds to roughly 850 dead elephants.
“WWF supports Gabon’s
decision and sees the move as an indication
of the country’s commitment to curbing elephant
poaching and the illegal ivory trade,” said
Stefanie Conrad, WWF Central Africa Regional
Programme Office Representative. “Ivory
of illegal or unknown origin cannot be sold
legally internationally for commercial purposes.
Gabon has acted commendably in deciding
to put such ivory beyond use,” she said.
Gabon will be the first
country in Central Africa to publicly destroy
its ivory, and the burning of the government’s
stockpile is intended to be a strong signal
demonstrating the nation’s commitment to
tackling the illegal wildlife trade.
A report issued last
week by the UN body that regulates the international
wildlife trade found that 2011 was the worst
year on record for elephant poaching in
Africa. It is estimated that tens of thousands
of elephants are being killed across Africa
each year for their tusks, which are in
demand in Asia.
“This is an international
problem and Gabon is coming under siege
by criminal gangs of hunters and crime syndicates
that smuggle ivory to Asia. Unless there
is a strong international reaction to stop
wildlife crime, and ivory smuggling in particular,
the forests of Gabon will no longer vibrate
with the rumble of the forest elephant,”
said Professor Lee White, Executive Secretary
of Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux
(Gabon’s National Parks Agency).
“We need to break the
illegal ivory trade chain,” said Suparna
Biswas, Country Director of WWF-Gabon. “This
time the decision has come from the top
and should be an example to others. Many
Central Africa ministries still proudly
display pieces of worked ivory in their
offices. Many government officials are implicated
in illicit ivory trafficking. This must
end.”
TRAFFIC’s data on ivory
seizures show that record levels of illicit
ivory were seized in 2011.
“If not managed properly,
ivory stockpiles in the hands of government
suddenly ‘get legs’ and move into illegal
trade. Zambia lost 3 tonnes of ivory from
the government’s strong room just last week
and Mozambique lost 1.1 tonnes in February,”
said Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC’s ivory trade
expert. “Gabon’s actions effectively keep
the ivory out of the way of temptation.”
Central Africa governments
have joined together in search of ways to
overcome this crisis by signing a regional
plan to strengthen law enforcement and better
combat poaching of elephants and other species
at risk from illegal wildlife trade.
+ More
Governments and oil
companies slammed over Virunga exploration
Saint Petersburg: The
committee overseeing World Heritage Sites
yesterday cautioned that petroleum exploration
in Virunga National Park could cause serious
harm and should be halted.
WWF, the Wildlife Conservation
Society, Fauna & Flora International,
the Frankfurt Zoological Society and the
Lukuru Foundation welcome this strong position
and urge the DRC government and oil companies
to act on it.
Expressing its concern
over recent actions by petroleum companies,
the World Heritage Committee reiterated
its position that oil development is incompatible
with World Heritage status. In the Committee’s
decisions, passed at its annual meeting,
the committee also called on the Democratic
Republic of the Congo to revoke permits
granted to exploration companies.
British oil company
SOCO International, which has already begun
activities in Virunga, was criticized in
the State of Conservation report on Virunga
as being “hostile to the park”. The committee
said SOCO’s permits did not conform to Democratic
Republic of the Congo’s international commitments.
SOCO has announced plans
to begin aerial surveys to map oil deposits,
and reportedly landed a helicopter in the
park earlier this month. Questions over
authorization for the landing allegedly
led to an altercation between Congolese
navy sailors, acting as security for SOCO,
and Virunga park rangers. The incident resulted
in the bayonet stabbing of a ranger, according
to witnesses.
Residents have expressed
concern over the possibility that pollution
from SOCO exploration in Lake Edward could
contaminate fishing waters where 30,000
residents make their livelihoods.
Total, the other oil
company with a concession in the park and
SOCO were admonished by the committee for
not joining other industry leaders in pledging
to remain out of all World Heritage Sites.
The Committee also called on the countries
where the companies are headquartered to
“to ensure that petroleum and mining companies
in their territory cause no damage the World
Heritage properties.”
Virunga National Park
was declared a World Heritage Site in 1979.
It is recognized for its unique landscapes
and rare animals, including critically endangered
mountain gorillas.
Please see the joint
NGO Position Paper on Virunga addressing
the World Heritage Committee and the State
Parties.
