Context
Poaching and illegal trade in wildlife products, especially ivory and rhinoceros horn, are a global problem. Poachers kill more than 1,000 rhinoceroses and about 20,000 elephants each year in Africa. Illicit wildlife products are then smuggled from African range states via transit countries to destination countries, mainly in Asia. Consumers use these products in different ways, for example, as business gifts, collectors’ items, traditional medicines or status symbols. Demand from Asia continues to be a main driver for poaching and illicit wildlife trade. Nevertheless, high profit margins, low risk of detection and weak governance provide a breeding ground for corruption along the entire illegal trade chain. Therefore, poaching and illegal trade not only threaten the conservation of endangered species but also have serious implications for the economic basis and security of the affected countries.
The causes of poaching in Africa and the related illegal inter-national trade in ivory and rhino horn are complex and combating them requires cross-border, cross-regional and cross-sectoral approaches.
Objective
The inter-sectoral, cross-border and trans-continental fight against poaching and illegal trade in ivory and rhino-horn is improved.
Approach
The partnership operates along the entire illegal trade chain in ivory and rhinoceros horn from the countries of origin in Africa to the consumers (mainly in Asia). Specific measures are defined in four areas of work:
—Enabling actors involved in combating poaching and illicit trade in elephant and rhino range states to adopt and implement innovative measures through provision of lessons learnt.
—Improving organisational and institutional capacities for effective transnational law enforcement to curtail international illegal trade.
—Identifying and implementing approaches to reduce demand among mainly Asian consumers, for example through target group specific campaigns.
—Promote exchange and coordination of German governmental and non-governmental actors involved in combatting wildlife crime.
The partnership works closely with the responsible German federal ministries and their subordinate authorities. As well as the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), these include the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Federal Ministry of the Interior, and the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection.
Concrete activities in the partner countries and regions are implemented jointly by governmental and non-governmental implementation partners and regional organisations and in close cooperation with bilateral German development cooperation projects and programmes.