5 Political Engagement: Collaboration, Legislation and CITES
Bongo Ondimba, Ali, HE President of Gabon, speaking at the 2013 Panel Discussion held by the African Development Bank, 30 May 2013
Summary: At the 2013 African Development Bank (AfDB) Annual Meeting, President Ali Bongo was asked by the AfDB’s President Donald Kaberuka to highlight the growing problem of wildlife trafficking. He stated that this is ‘not simply an environmental issue’: wildlife crime excluding illicit trafficking in fisheries and timber is worth up to $10 billion per year. Poachers have moved into regions rich with natural resources across Africa, perpetuating civil conflict. Wildlife crime poses a serious threat to the sovereignty and stability of many African countries, destroying natural assets and deterring investment and ‘hindering [the] growth of entire nations’. He cited instability in the CAR in 2013 as being directly linked to the destabilizing nature of wildlife crime. In Gabon, park rangers are increasingly being attacked by poachers, and Gabon has lost a third of its elephants over the last ten years. The president called upon the AfDB to launch an emergency fund for ‘environmental crises’, and for international collaboration on the issue of wildlife crime. Key words: AfDB, Gabon, elephant poaching, civil conflict
Cardamone, Tom, ‘Ivory and Insecurity: The Global Implications of Poaching in Africa’, Statement at the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 24 May 2012108
Summary: Cardamone, Managing Director of Global Financial Integrity, spoke on the connection between illegal wildlife trafficking and threats to American national security. Action taken by the American government to combat terrorism following the September 11 terrorist attacks drove groups such as Al-Qaeda to seek new sources of funding. Al-Qaeda affiliates must now raise funding on their own, and the illicit wildlife trade, with its low risks and high profit potential, is a major new source of revenue, which is also being accessed by armed non-state actors in Africa. Across Central and East Africa, armed non-state actors and some government forces accused of poaching for profit include al Shabaab and the SPLA, the Congolese Army, the FDLR and the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) in the DRC. UNITA and RENAMO were found by the Congressional Research Service to have been involved in wildlife trafficking in Angola and Mozambique. Key words: National security, Al-Qaeda, al Shabaab, SPLA, FDLR, CNDP, UNITA, RENAMO
108 For all speeches at this event see: http://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/ivory-and-insecurity_the-global-implications-of-poaching-in-africa.
