Kenya’s new wildlife conservation campaign

 By Ochieng’ Ogodo

Journalist - Kenya

[Nairobi] Kenya on 1 August launched a new wildlife conservation campaign dubbed “Ivory Trade is a Rip Off”,  a fresh effort aimed at raising awareness and curb the illegal trade in ivory.

The campaign — supported by 31 other African states under the African Elephant Coalition — calls for the listing of the African Elephant in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) – which includes species threatened with extinction – at the Convention’s upcoming 18th Conference of the Parties (CoP18) following the dwindling numbers of elephants as a result of poaching.

The launch that took place at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was attended by the Director of UN Environment’s Regional Office for Africa, Juliette Biao, the country’s Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, Najib Balala, and representatives from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Kenya Airways.

“We are worried – with the lobbying that is going on and opening the ivory trade – that poaching could be revived, because there will be a demand and supply,” said Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala. “And that is why we are here today, to bring this awareness.”

CITES introduced the ban on international trade in ivory in 1989 following years of unprecedented poaching; up to 80 per cent of herds are estimated to have been lost in some regions.

“The Kenya Airport Authority was the first in Africa to sign the United Buckingham Palace Declaration, an international initiative that commits players in the international transport supply chain to collaborate in the fight against the wildlife trafficking,” KAA’s Isaac Awuondo said at the launch. “We moved quickly to join in the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking out of the realization that a complex transnational supply chain was enabling this vice and it needed to be disrupted, if not eliminated.”

“Illegal Trade in Wildlife harms sustainable development in Africa. Together we can reverse the trend and protect our wildlife. I urge all stakeholders to join this campaign to eliminate this scourge,” Director of UN Environment’s Regional Office for Africa, Juliette Biao.

Through a partnership between KWS and KAA, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is equipped with canine units trained to detect wildlife products in passenger baggage and cargo. KAA has been at the forefront in its commitment to the fight against Illegal wildlife trafficking by enacting laws, developing policies and procedures and training personnel to ensure that illegal wildlife products do not pass through airports.

As part of the campaign, 400,000 limited-edition boarding passes have been produced with the message: “Trade of ivory is ripping Kenya apart”.

Kenya Airways and UN Environment have jointly been raising awareness on the need for better and sustainable wildlife conservation by distributing a special children’s education pack to passengers. The pack contains a tote bag, a comic book, postcards, stickers and temporary tattoos relating to wildlife conservation and the illegal wildlife trade. 

UN Environment supports African countries in their fight against illegal trade in wildlife through awareness raising, policies as well as capacity building and support to local communities.