Central African Countries Plan to Improve Law Enforcement to Combat Poaching

Central African Countries Plan to Improve Law Enforcement to Combat Poaching

Central African countries recently signed a groundbreaking regional plan to strengthen law enforcement and better combat poaching of elephants and other species at risk from illegal wildlife trade.

The plan was adopted by the ten member states of Central African Forest Commission, known as COMIFAC, as escalating rates of wildlife crime plague the region.

Wildlife ministers from the COMIFAC countries pledged to undertake unprecedented levels of co-operation with law enforcement agencies, such as the police, Customs and the judiciary, to tackle the issue.

They also announced plans to hold a head of state conference next year to address wildlife loss and maintaining Africa’s biodiversity. The conference would bring together African leaders as well as government officials from key Asian trading partners and intergovernmental supporters such as the Africa Development Bank and the UN to explore opportunities for co-operation.

“Without strong and efficient collaboration among the COMIFAC range states, we will never succeed in combating this plague,” said Mahamat Bechir Okormi, the Chad Minister for Environment and Fishery, in his closing statement at the COMIFAC preparatory meeting held yesterday in Ndjamena, Chad.

“We are optimistic that the effective implementation of this plan will help to cut down on illegal ivory trade from Central African countries and enable better enforcement of CITES in the region.” Germain Ngandjui, Central Africa Senior Programme Officer for TRAFFIC.

Ivory, often bound for Asia, is frequently smuggled across inland borders before reaching overseas exit points such as ports and airports. Under the plan, Customs controls are also set to be bolstered at international transit hubs.

Germain Ngandjui, Central Africa Senior Programme Officer for TRAFFIC said: “We are optimistic that the effective implementation of this plan will help to cut down on illegal ivory trade from Central African countries and enable better enforcement of CITES in the region.”

TRAFFIC and WWF, together with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, have provided technical and financial assistance toward the development of the plan and are offering ongoing support for its implementation.

Posted by George Daniels on Friday June 08 2012, 3:16 AM EST. Ref: TRAFFIC. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0