Part of the 6 tonnes
of confiscated ivory that were destroyed
by the authorities in China
Nairobi, 6 January 2014 - Six tonnes of
confiscated ivory were destroyed by the
authorities in China, Monday, in an effort
to combat the illegal trade in elephant
tusks.
The seized ivory was fed into crushing machines
in the southern city of Dongguan, in what
was described as the first public destruction
of ivory in China.
According to the Convention on the International
Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and
Flora (CITES), elephant poaching in Africa
could lead to local extinctions if the present
killing rates continue.
The situation is particularly
acute in Central Africa, where the estimated
poaching rates are twice the continental
average.
UN Under-Secretary-General
and Executive Director of the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) Achim Steiner
said, "We congratulate China and the
State Forestry Administration on this milestone
event."
"The largest remaining
land mammal on the planet is facing one
of the greatest crises to hit the species
in decades. The latest CITES data estimates
that some 47,000 animals were killed in
Africa in 2011 and 2012."
"Yet, there is
reason for optimism. International cooperation
is paving the way towards improved law enforcement
and increased efforts to reduce demand.
These efforts need to be stepped up and
strengthened to produce the desired results."
"We have also seen
the destruction of ivory stockpiles across
range, transit and demand states: in the
Philippines, the Gabon, the US and China
among others. As well as create critical
public awareness, such actions send a clear
message that wildlife crime will not be
tolerated," he added.
Increased poaching and
loss of habitats are decimating African
elephant populations - especially in Central
African countries - according to a report
entitled Elephants in the Dust: The African
Elephant Crisis, released last March.
The UN estimates that
over 17,000 elephants were illegally killed
in monitored sites in 2011 alone. Overall
figures may be much higher.
Secretary-General of
CITES John E. Scanlon, speaking at the event,
said, "Despite considerable efforts
to combat wildlife crime, it continues to
be a problem worldwide. Illegal trade in
elephant ivory is having a devastating impact
on the African elephant, and it also poses
a threat to people and their livelihoods
- it must stop. China, and the entire international
community, are determined to end this illicit
trade."
The Elephants in the
Dust report - produced by UNEP, CITES, the
International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN), and the Wildlife Trade Monitoring
Network (TRAFFIC) - says that the illegal
ivory trade has tripled since 1998.
Criminal networks are
responsible for the illegal trafficking
of ivory between Africa and Asia. Large-scale
seizures of ivory destined for Asia have
more than doubled since 2009 and reached
an all-time high in 2011.
The international community
is looking at measures to address the crisis,
including collaborative action to combat
the illegal trade in wildlife and timber,
which would include:
Improved law-enforcement
across the entire illegal ivory supply chain;
Strengthened national legislative frameworks;
Training of enforcement officers in the
use of tracking, intelligence networks and
innovative techniques, such as forensic
analysis;
Better international collaboration across
range states, transit countries and consumer
markets; and
Action to fight collusive corruption, identifying
syndicates and reducing demand.
Notes to Editors
UNEP is strengthening
and focusing its work to further assess
global and regional environmental threats
caused by the illegal trade in wildlife
and timber, to provide policy advice on
such threats, and to further catalyze and
promote international cooperation and action
to address the threats caused by the illegal
trade in wildlife and timber. Such efforts
build on four decades of UNEP's work in
support of the conservation and sustainable
use of wildlife and forest resources.
A range of regional initiatives have also
been developed and adopted. In Africa, the
Lusaka Agreement on Co-operative Enforcement
Operations Directed at Illegal Trade in
Wild Fauna and Flora was adopted in 1994
to support member states and collaborating
partners in reducing and ultimately eliminating
illegal trade in wild fauna and flora.
In other regions, Regional Wildlife Enforcement
Groups/Networks have been developed (in
North America, Europe, Southeast and South
Asia, and the Middle East), which aim to
facilitate cross-border cooperation among
agencies involved in preventing and suppressing
wildlife crime.
Regional Forest Law Enforcement and Governance
(FLEG) processes have also been initiated
in South-East Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin
America and North Asia. The FLEG processes
provide soft legislation which aims to improve
governance in the forest sector and to strengthen
cooperation to address illegal logging and
timber trade.
To download the Elephants in the Dust report,
please visit the following link: http://www.grida.no/publications/rr/elephants/
About UNEP
Created in 1972, UNEP
represents the United Nations' environmental
conscience. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, its
mission is to provide leadership and encourage
partnership in caring for the environment
by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations
and peoples to improve their quality of
life without compromising that of future
generations.
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/UNEP?
About CITES
With 179 Member States,
CITES remains one of the world's most powerful
tools for biodiversity conservation through
the regulation of trade in wild fauna and
flora. Thousands of species are internationally
traded and used by people in their daily
lives for food, housing, health care, ecotourism,
cosmetics or fashion.
CITES regulates international
trade in close to 35,000 species of plants
and animals, including their products and
derivatives, ensuring their survival in
the wild with benefits for the livelihoods
of local people and the global environment.
The CITES Permit System seeks to ensure
that international trade in listed species
is sustainable, legal and traceable.
The CITES Programme
for Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants
(CITES MIKE) has been monitoring trends
in elephant poaching in a representative
sample of sites spread across 43 elephant
range States in Africa and Asia. These sites
include many of the largest elephant populations
on both continents. The operation of the
MIKE programme in Africa was made possible
thanks to the support of the European Union.
CITES banned international ivory trading
in 1989.
