https://allafrica.com/stories/201810150442.html



African Leaders Seek $1 Billion for Elephant Conservation

By Chinedum Uwaegbulam


Amid the urgent and complex global challenge that illegal wildlife trade poses, Nigeria and other African leaders have called on international donors to commit $1 billion over the next 12 years to save continent's remaining elephants.

They made the plea during the Elephant Protection Initiative's (EPI) Consultative Group at the Illegal Wildlife Trafficking Conference, and urged "donors to put elephants beyond the risk of extinction" by helping provide the required investment.

Launched in 2014 by the leaders of five countries - Gabon, Chad, Tanzania, Botswana and Ethiopia - the EPI coalition now numbers 19 African member states. The EPI has common policies to save Africa's elephants and build a sustainable future for our people. These are based on the African Elephant Action Plan (AEAP), which was agreed by all African elephant range states in 2010.



Africa's elephant population has been devastated by ivory poachers over the past decade. On average, some 55 elephants are killed per day. If this rate continues, elephants could be wiped out within a generation.

The EPI held crucial meetings on the elephant crisis at the Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London, which was attended by Nigeria's Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibril. The EPI's first ever Consultative Group was hosted by the President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba. Seven African countries - Gabon, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Angola and Chad - presented their elephant conservation plans. These plans would cost some 268 million USD to implement over the next three years.

Their National Elephant Action Plans are fully costed national plans drawn up by African governments to protect their elephant populations. The EPI champions and advocates for these plans across Africa as a sustainable and effective way to save the continent's dwindling elephant population, which continues to come under fierce attack from poaching and illegal trafficking.

The EPI's John Stephenson said: "If we invest one billion dollars by 2030 we can put elephants beyond the risk of extinction, protect habitats, and the communities who live alongside wildlife. When this money is spread across elephant range states, the amount we spend in each country will be modest, but the returns will be large."

President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, said: "The EPI states have invested their own blood and treasure to protect elephants from poachers. African communities are losing their crops and are being killed by these magnificent but dangerous beasts. Hungry villagers bear the brunt of the elephant's appetite, whilst countries who have eliminated the indigenous animal's threats to their people demand conservation action.


President Bongo said: "This is not a battle African countries can or should fight alone. Wildlife crime is an international criminal business on par with the trafficking of drugs, arms and children and by nature, the solution has to be international. But going beyond the fight against international crime, the elephant is an international icon; the largest land mammal.

Our planet would be a lesser place if the rumble and the trumpet of the elephant was no more."Former President of Botswana, and a founding member of the EPI, Dr Ian Khama said: "Nature is the most important asset for the planet, and elephants are part of that asset. And, as we all know, assets need investment."

We maintain our infrastructure, we repair our roads, buildings, seaports and airports, but are not investing in our natural capital in the same manner.

"If we are indeed agreed on the need to appreciate the value of nature, and that acting to conserve the African elephant is a collective responsibility, then we urgently need to join hands and generate sufficient funding for the implementation of National Elephant Action Plans (NEAPs) in EPI member states.



"These action plans address various actions in support of elephant conservation and also, very importantly, the livelihoods of people and include measures to reduce human-elephant conflict and elephant poaching.

"In implementing the NEAPs and in observing EPI member state policies, we need to increase our vigilance in stemming the tide of elephant poaching incidents and the destruction of natural capital. If we value nature and the contribution of elephants to natural capital, we should not allow poaching and illegal wildlife trade to reduce that very value."

Duke of Cambridge, Prince William said:"I am delighted to be here at your first meeting. Ever since the EPI was created four years ago, I have continued to believe it offers the best African owned approach to protecting African elephants."Highlighting the work of the EPI and steps made since its inception, The Duke of Cambridge said: "Domestic ivory markets are closing, the international ivory trade has plummeted and government stockpiles are being put beyond commercial use."

"Action plans embrace the United Nation's sustainable development goals and set out a path to a sustainable future for elephants... most importantly they are your plans, they are African owned plans. They are underpinned by a common principle that ivory will not be sold commercially. They give each country ownership and control over how to manage elephant populations in your own way."The Duke of Cambridge added: "EPI represents hope - hope that our children and future generations will be able to witness elephant populations in the wild."

Have each requesting country subjected to an independent audit before releasing any funds to that country.

No audit, no money.

Sending money to Nigeria sounds like a really fantastic idea.

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Seven African countries - Gabon, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Angola and Chad - presented their elephant conservation plans. These plans would cost some 268 million USD to implement over the next three years.

The same countries who have failed to manage it successfully for decades, but send us $1 Billion USD and we'll get it right this time.

I may have been born at night, but it wasn't last night.

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Originally posted by larryshores:
Sending money to Nigeria sounds like a really fantastic idea.

So they can embezzle all the money sent as they have four many decades.

Maybe China will donate!

This is just another way of passing the begging bowl around.

Nigeria has a population of just under 200 million people. By mid-century, according to the Population Reference Bureau they could have 400 million. They are not interested in conservation, and donations would be a complete waste.

The paradox, certainly in southern Africa, is that governments increasingly lack funding and expertise, so NGOs step in. In Zimbabwe we have maybe 50 of them. But they all have their own agendae and they all want to do their own thing, and they don't play well with other NGOs or government. Meanwhile, National Parks is the statutory authority for wildlife crime.

So where funding is concerned you have to strike a fine balance between channeling resources through the better NGOs, and getting them to work with and through, National Parks.

The days of just donating to any African country for anything need to be over.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Sending money to Nigeria sounds like a really fantastic idea.

Is there any wild elephants in Nigeria? Maybe they can get the scammers started on calling the greenies for money? That would be interesting.

Actually that's a bargain when you consider the progressive/Socialists/anti-gun/anti-hunting/environmentalist/AGM cultists want $45 trillion to combat man-made global warming.

Of course the result will be the same... Nutinburger...

It sounds like some of these two bit scammers have been promoted from extorting money from lonely widows to possibly a higher paying career.

Any country or charitable trust stupid enough to give money to African despots or so called democracy deserves to be fleeced.