Representatives from 30 countries have agreed on measures to protect the African elephant. The summit in Botswana's capital, Gaborone, was the first high-level conference to deal with the entire ivory value chain. The conference brought together African elephant range states, transit states (such as Malaysia and the Philippines) and ivory destination states (such as China and Thailand). Germany was the initiator of the conference.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Altmaier made the following statement: "The conference achieved concrete improvements for the elephants in Africa. It is a good sign that all the participants took concerted action. I hope that the dangerous trend towards more and more poaching can now finally be reversed."
Government representatives reached agreement on 14 concrete measures. Wildlife crime is to be classified as a serious crime in all participating countries. International cooperation on law enforcement will be stepped up in line with this. In the African countries, the local population will be given a more active role in elephant conservation. In the Asian target markets, educational campaigns will aim to reduce the demand for ivory.
International trade in ivory has been banned for a long time, but poaching and ivory smuggling have nevertheless risen dramatically in recent years. Today, the African elephant is at great risk in large parts of its range. Local populations are also affected by wildlife crime, which is now more organised and militarised than ever before.
The conference was held by the government of Botswana and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Germany initiated the summit and also participated in the conference as its main financial sponsor.