Some good news on the efforts to reduce elephant poaching from Kenya!
On Thursday Feb 23, 2012 the NATION reports that Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) has launched a campaign to protect elephants from poachers. It is a 10 year plan providing a roadmap for conservation and managements of elephants in the country.
“Forestry and Wildlife minister Noah Wekesa told the launch ceremony that the increase in poaching and the level of organisation among illegal ivory traders were worrying.
“In the light of these worrying trends, we would be calling on the international community to support total ban in ivory trade in the coming Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) and listing of African elephants on Appendix I of Cites,” Dr Wekesa said.”
It was noted that Kenya lost 278 elephants in 2011 to poachers compared to 177 in 2010. At the same time eight tones of illegally acquired ivory were seized over the last three years.
“The function at the Ivory Burning Site Campsite in Nairobi National Park was attended by conservationists, including representatives of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),Save the Elephants (STE), African Conservation Centre (ACC), universities and other research institutions, communities from different conservation areas and county councils.
The elephant strategy seeks to maintain and expand elephant distribution and numbers, enhance security to elephants, reduce cases of human-elephant conflict and increase the value of elephants to people and habitats.
The strategy seeks to address emerging problems and threats facing elephant conservation in the country. It aims to achieve this by engaging communities living adjacent to protected areas on the importance of protecting the species through education and awareness.”
All in all it sounds like a fantastic project and initiative. Let’s hope it will work on the ground as good as it sounds!
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