Kenyan conservationists laud state-led war on wildlife crimes

Kenya's leading conservation lobby groups on Wednesday hailed state-led interventions that have contributed to a drastic reduction in the illegal trade in wildlife products.

During an interview with Xinhua in Nairobi, senior officials from the conservation lobbies noted that Kenya has made tremendous progress in efforts to eradicate wildlife crimes.

Munira Anyonge Bashir, Country Director of The Nature Conservancy, said Kenya has earned global acclaim for spearheading a vibrant campaign against poaching of iconic mammals for their trophies.

"We applaud Kenya for its stewardship in protecting critical wildlife species. But we cannot stop there since 70 percent of Kenya's wildlife lives outside protected areas and are likely to be vulnerable to illegal activities such as poaching," Bashir said.

She spoke to Xinhua on the sidelines of a ground breaking ceremony for a site where President Uhuru Kenyatta will set ablaze an estimated 120 tonnes of ivory and rhino horns on April 30th.

The Kenyan leader will be joined by his counterparts from African elephant range states, celebrities and business moguls to torch the largest consignment of trophies in living memory.

Bashir lauded Kenya's decision to torch ivory and rhino horns terming it a courageous step to deal the menace of poaching a fatal blow.

She stressed that burning of trophies should be accompanied by robust community engagement to promote conservation of rare wildlife species.

"We need to focus our attention to communities that live near wildlife protected areas to enable them to see the value of protecting elephants and rhinos as opposed to getting low one off payments from trading ivory and horns," said Bashir.

The Nature Conservancy has forged a strategic partnership with the Chinese government and internet giant Tencent to promote wildlife protection in Kenya.

Bashir said this partnership has focused on building the capacity of local communities to take care of wildlife species that face the threat of poaching, human encroachment into their habitats and climate change.

Kenya should focus on targeted interventions like law enforcement, public awareness and enhanced vigilance to curb illicit trade in wildlife products.

Dr Paula Kahumbu, the CEO of Wildlife Direct, said the torching of ivory and horns by President Uhuru Kenyatta at the end of April signals Kenya's commitment to end slaughter of iconic mammals for their trophies.

"President Kenyatta will make the most significant conservation statement in recent history by torching ivory and horns valued at over one billion dollars," Kahumbu remarked.

She lauded enforcement of punitive legislation that has led to significant decline in wildlife crimes in the last two years.

Statistics from Kenya wildlife service (KWS) indicate the number of elephants poached in Kenya reduced from 164 in 2014 to 96 in 2015. Likewise, only 11 rhinos were poached in 2015 down from 35 in 2014. Enditem