NOTES FROM THE FIELD - CELEBRATING WORLD ELEPHANT DAY
Greetings from Nairobi!
This month we are celebrating earth’s largest land mammals - elephants. August 12 is
World Elephant Day
,
dedicated to the preservation and protection of the World’s elephants. Also, this month, is the
annual Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (
CITES
) Conference of Parties (COP), where country authorities from across the globe will determine international trade in specimens, including elephants.
We think this is a perfect opportunity to check on the status of elephants in Africa and highlight what we’re doing to help.
A
recent study
found a decrease in elephant poaching for ivory across Africa, from over 10% in 2011 to <4% in 2017. Kenya Wildlife Service also
reported
a drop in elephant poaching and overall elephant deaths in 2018, compared to 2017. However, some conservationists
say
that the poaching rate is still too high for Africa’s population of elephants to be sustainable.
While the decrease in poaching elephants for ivory is largely good news, conservation is complicated and a solution to one problem is the catalyst for another.
The decrease in elephant poaching means more elephants. One September 2018
study
found that elephants accounted for 63% of the human-wildlife conflicts in Tsavo and 47% in Maasai Mara (2001-2016). When coupled with growing human populations in elephant-used areas, the result is an increase in human-wildlife conflicts like crop raiding, injuries and deaths of humans, and
retaliatory killing of elephants
. This increase in human-elephant conflicts has renewed southern African countries’ efforts to push for removal of the ban on ivory trade. Kenya, on the other hand, supports a stricter ban on ivory trade. At the upcoming CITES COP, Kenya will propose that elephants receive an even higher level of protection.
I hope you enjoy reading this month’s newsletter.
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Beatrice Wamalwa
Acting Environment Office Chief
USAID Kenya and East Africa
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KENYA PREPARES FOR YEARLY CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WILD FAUNA AND FLOR
A -- AND LAUNCHES
"IVORY TRADE IS A RIP OFF" CAMPAIGN
IN SUPPORT OF ITS NO IVORY TRADE STANCE
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USAID partners are preparing for the annual Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (
CITES
) Conference of Parties (COP) to be held in Geneva in mid-August.
In July, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) hosted a CITES preparation meeting to develop a collective Kenya position. The Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA) led community engagement for Kenya's CITES process.
Kenya is proposing that all African elephant populations be listed in Appendix I at CITES, which strictly prohibits trade and offers the highest protection.
To support its stance and draw awareness to its efforts to stop international trade in ivory, Kenya launched a public relations campaign on July 31, called "Ivory Trade is a Rip-Off."
“The threat of ivory trade needs to be ended and the time to do it is now. Any attempts to re-open it must be opposed strongly.”
said Kenya’s First Lady Margaret Kenyatta at the campaign launch.
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Kenya launches "Ivory Trade is a Rip Off" campaign
Nairobi, 2 August 2019 - In a fresh effort to raise awareness and curb the illegal trade in ivory, Kenya yesterday launched a new wildlife conservation campaign dubbed "Ivory Trade is a Rip Off".
Read more
www.unenvironment.org
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RANGERS GAIN TECHNICAL SKILLS AND RESOURCES FOR KEEPING WILDLIFE SAFE THROUGH USAID PROGRAM
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This month, Kenya Wildlife Service rangers are learning to effectively prosecute wildlife crimes through training exercises supported by the
USAID Kenya Wildlife Protection and Conservation Program
. The training teaches rangers how to collect forensic
biological material from crime scenes. This type of evidence can link a poacher to confiscated rhino horn, elephant ivory, or any other confiscated wildlife products.
The August training was the fourth in a series of training sessions that will cover 10 rhino and elephant habitats.
Kenya Wildlife Service conserves and manages wildlife on approximately 8 percent of the total land mass in Kenya. The USAID Kenya Wildlife Protection and Conservation Program is helping them build the competency of their technical staff and their organizational capacity to protect the future of wildlife and Kenya's important wildlife-tourism industry.
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In February 2018, USAID donated a fleet of vehicles to Kenya Wildlife Service through the
Kenya Wildlife Protection and Conservation Program.
The vehicles are supporting Kenya Wildlife Service to expand it efforts in eradicating poaching and improving wildlife insecurity.
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Kenya Wildlife Service
reported
a drop in elephant poaching and overall elephant deaths in 2018, compared to 2017.
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AMBOSELI ELEPHANT NARROWLY ESCAPES HUMAN-WILDLIFE INCIDENT WITH THE HELP OF A WELL-PLACED RANGER TEAM AND VET UNIT
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Excerpt from Big Life story "She Was Speared in the Head, But This Elephant is Alive."
Luckily the spear had bent on impact and not penetrated the skull. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust-supported vet was able to remove it without causing any further injury. He cleaned the wound, administered long-lasting antibiotics and painkillers, and packed it with natural clay to assist the healing process. With the anesthetic reversed, the elephant slowly got to her feet and moved off in the direction of the herd.
We can’t say what would have happened without treatment, but the injury could very easily have killed this elephant.
Thanks to support from USAID, Big Life has a ranger team on Eselengei that were perfectly placed to respond to the initial report from a local tourism partner, and track the elephant quickly. From there it was a textbook case operation, highlighting the importance of cooperation, and with big thanks to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust-supported Kenya Wildlife Service vet unit.
Read the complete story
here
.
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She Was Speared in the Head, But This Elephant is Alive
She was spotted on Thursday evening with her calf and four other family members in the Selenkay Conservancy on Eselengei Group Ranch. This is an area where Big Life has recently expanded our presence and programs ...
Read more
biglife.org
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AFRICAN ELEPHANT POACHING RATES CORRELATE WITH LOCAL POVERTY, NATIONAL CORRUPTION AND GLOBAL IVORY PRICE
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A
recent study
found a decrease in elephant poaching for ivory, which is attributed to decreased demand for ivory in Chinese markets, but comes with caveats. First, it is not clear whether the demand reduction is from a decreased interest in buying ivory products or simply less disposable income for nonessential purchases due to a weakened Chinese economy. The study authors also found statistical relationships between poaching rates and the amount of corruption in a country, the poverty rate in villages near elephant populations, and the adequacy of law enforcement, as reported by rangers in the wildlife parks.
Based on their findings, the study authors suggest that continued investment in law enforcement could further reduce poaching, but is unlikely to succeed without action that simultaneously reduces ivory demand and tackles corruption and poverty.
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African elephant poaching rates correlate with local...
Poaching is contributing to rapid declines in elephant populations across Africa. Following high-profile changes in the political environment, the overall number of illegally killed elephants in Africa seems to be falling, but to evaluate...
Read more
www.nature.com
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TAKING THE ELEPHANTS' PERSPECTIVE: REMEMBERING ELEPHANT BEHAVIOR, COGNITION AND ECOLOGY IN HUMAN-ELEPHANT CONFLICT MITIGATION
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There is a growing interest among conservationists to find novel and innovative methods for addressing human-wildlife conflict. A
study
from last August suggests that understanding and providing for elephant and human social, ecological, and biological needs can help prevent conflict from occurring in the first place.
This report reviews studies on elephants to illustrate the above concept and to outline avenues for the application of research on elephant ecology, life history, behavior and personality to the development of new, comprehensive conservation strategies that take both human and elephant behavior into account.
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Taking the Elephants' Perspective: Remembering Elephant...
Conflict between humans and wildlife is an increasing problem worldwide due to human population growth and habitat fragmentation, with growing interest amongst scientists and conservationists in developing novel solutions towards sustainable...
Read more
www.frontiersin.org
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ENVIRONMENT NEWS AND OPINION ROUNDUP
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Kenya has announced a fresh campaign to fight ivory trade as the world prepares for the forthcoming Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meeting of the Conference of Parties to be held in Switzerland later this month.
The campaign, dubbed “Rip-Off," aims to bring attention to efforts by Kenya and other like-minded countries to stop international ivory trade and to raise awareness about declining elephant populations across the continent. Source: Africa Wildlife Foundation.
Read more
(December 27, 2018)
KWS Director General Charles Musyoki said there were 40 cases of poaching in 2018 compared to 80 in 2017, even as elephant mortality dropped by 30 percent. He said nationally, the country has lost 396 elephants this year due to diverse causes, including natural causes (disease, drought, drowning, territorial fights & old age); human-wildlife conflicts, accidents and poaching compared to 727 that died during 2017. Source: Capital FM.
Read more
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One of Africa’s largest wildlife preserves is marking a year without a single elephant found killed by poachers, which experts call an extraordinary development in an area larger than Switzerland where thousands of the animals have been slaughtered in recent years. Source: AP.
Read more
Poaching incidences in Kenya's third largest nature conservation area, Tsavo Conservancy, have gone down by 96 per cent owing to improved monitoring and security operations by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and conservation partners in the region. Source: The Standard.
Read more
Law enforcement and reducing the demand for wildlife products were for a long time the first line of defense against illegal wildlife trade, engaging local communities was an important aspect that was missing in this process, stated Holly Dublin. Source: Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group.
Read more
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USAID Kenya and East Africa Environment | www.usaid.gov/east-africa-regional/environment
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