Spotlight: African presidents renew commitment to end poaching

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his counterparts from Uganda and Gabon on Friday made a firm pledge to eradicate poaching of iconic mammals including rhinos and elephants.

Speaking during an international ivory summit in Central Kenyan town of Nanyuki, the leaders from African elephant range states resolved to harness political muscle to revitalize war against poaching.

The summit took place ahead of the historic burning of 105 tons of ivory and 1.3 tons of rhino horns at the Nairobi National Park slated for Saturday.

In his opening statement, Kenyatta decried loss of African elephants and rhinos from poaching, population pressure and climate induced vagaries.

"The African giant mammals including elephants and rhinos are grappling with the threats of poaching alongside loss and fragmentation of their habitats," Kenyatta remarked adding that robust partnerships were crucial to fight poaching effectively.

Kenya hosted the Giants Club Summit to galvanize global attention to poaching that threatens future survival of big mammals in Africa.

The summit was attended by conservation luminaries from around the world, business moguls and philanthropists.

Presidents of Kenya, Uganda, Gabon and Botswana alongside a host of charity groups founded the Giants club to revitalize the war against poaching in the African elephant range states that host over half of the big mammal's population in the continent.

Kenyatta said that governments, corporations and campaigners across Africa are united in their resolve to combat poaching whose threat to ecosystems and livelihood is enormous.

"Pragmatic actions are needed to secure the future of the remaining African elephants and other endangered species. We must lobby key influencers to help reduce demand for ivory," said Kenyatta.

Africa loses an estimated 35,000 elephants annually due to poaching hence the need for new strategies to enable countries address the menace effectively.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni noted that besides poaching, socio-economic challenges like poverty, over-population and civil strife threatened the survival of iconic mammals.

He proposed robust cross border partnership, community engagement and law enforcement to help minimize loss of elephants through poaching.

"We must devote our focus to the supply and demand chain, eliminate corruption and empower communities to eradicate poaching in this continent," Museveni said.

He added that wildlife treasures were key to growth of tourism and job creation in Africa.

The President of Gabon, Ali Bongo noted that sharing of best practices alongside political goodwill are key to eliminate poaching and other wildlife crimes in the continent.

"We require strategic interventions to halt loss of iconic wildlife species that have been symbol of our heritage for millennia," Bongo remarked adding that investments in electric fences and community conservancies should be scaled up to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. Endit