African heads of State and decision-makers will convene at the International Conference on Illegal Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora in Africa in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, on 27-30 April, where they will lay out a common plan to end illegal trade in wild fauna and flora on the continent.

The value of wildlife crime, comprising fauna and flora, and including logging, poaching and trafficking of a wide range of animals, amounts to between US$70 and US$213 billion a year, according to estimates of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and INTERPOL. Wildlife trafficking creates insecurity, fuelling conflicts and corruption. Together with poaching and illegal extraction, it deprives countries of their assets, weakens the rule of law and divides societies. Wildlife trafficking also destroys biodiversity and ecosystems, threatening the supply of food and freshwater and eroding livelihoods for millions of people in Africa.

Organised by the Government of the Republic of Congo and the African Union Commission (AUC), in partnership with UNEP and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Conference builds on the outcomes of the London and Kasane High Level Conferences on Illegal Wildlife Trade. It follows the 23rd African Union Summit which urged African nations to apply zero tolerance approaches, to take action to strengthen laws and policies, and to engage communities to combat illegal wildlife trafficking and related criminal activities. The Conference will seek to create an Africa-wide strategy and associated action plan on the illegal trade in wild fauna and flora, to be considered at the next AU Summit.

Background

The continuing loss of biodiversity resources is for African States a threat whose implications are felt on the social welfare, economic development and environmental sustainability. In the early 21st century, many animal and plant species are victims of unbridled pressure which seriously threatens global ecological balance. Among the most endangered species listed in the foreground, rhinoceros and the African elephant, emblematic species in danger of extinction. This threat is fueled by international trade in horns for the first and ivory for the second, two products for which demand is increasingly growing especially in some Asian countries.

The figures recorded during the last two years is sufficient to measure the severity of the danger facing the planet: 25,000 elephants were slaughtered and 23,000 tons of ivory seized in 2011. Since the beginning of 2013, 146 rhinos were shot in South Africa, while the ivory trade in the Far East, particularly to China, Burma and Thailand, among others, and is expanding at record levels. This smuggling also affects fishery resources, particularly tuna, whales, sharks, turtles, etc. and some species of African fauna, endangered or not, such as Afrormosia (Pericopsis elata), the Ebony (Diospyros crassiflora), the Pao Rosa (Swartzia fistuloides), the Wengue (Millettia lerentii), Wood Rose Madagascar (Dalbergia maritima), Gnetum (Gnetum spp.), Prunus (Prunus africana), etc.

On the other hand, and according to the press release joint IUCN, CITES, TRAFFIC, CSE, published in the Summit Gaborone on African Elephant, held December 2, 2013, trade routes have shifted ports West Africa and Central Africa to those of East Africa. At the same time, the trade routes used by traffickers seem to now refer to new countries in Africa and exit and transit in Africa, Asia and Europe.

It has been established that poaching networks have honed their techniques and methods allowing them to escape the border controls. They are now using heavy weapons, and thus constitute a threat not only to people and wildlife, but also for the peace and security of States, particularly those of countries of origin where the poverty level remains high.

African countries have acceded to several regional and international instruments on the conservation of biodiversity, the fight against illegal logging and illegal trade in species of wild flora and fauna, to ensure the conservation and sustainable management of their forest and wildlife resources. Despite this political will and actions of regional and international institutions, illegal logging and illegal trade reached alarming proportions. International mobilization that is in place, evidenced by the high-level conferences has generated significant results to be made consistent and complemented by a thorough analysis of needs, priorities, challenges and opportunities in a perspective and under African leadership.

On this backdrop, the 23th Summit of the African Union adopted Decision EX.CL/Dec.832(XXV) on the conservation of African wildlife and the illegal wildlife trade. This decision was endorsed Congolese government's proposal to hold an international conference on the illicit trade and exploitation of plants and wildlife in Africa and instructed the Commission to work with the Congo for organizing this conference. The decision of the AU has also asked the Commission, with the support of AMCEN, AfDB, UNEP, UNODC, the CITES Secretariat, INTERPOL, the Task Force of the Lusaka Agreement the Cooperative Enforcement Operations Directed at Illegal Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora, and other major partners to prepare a common African strategy on the fight against illegal trade in wild fauna and flora, to be submitted to the Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the AU in June 2015. This strategy should enable a coordinated response to regional, sub-regional and national, and the development of a regional common position that inform the debate and priority actions at regional and internationally.

Objectives

The Conference will build on the outcomes of the major previous meetings have produced significant results and whose implementation should be a concerted and coherent manner. It will also consider how to achieve a better conservation of the flora and fauna of Africa through specific joint projects, unified approaches and modalities uniting efforts among key stakeholders, with the support of partners and donors .

Therefore, the conference will:

• Make an inventory of past and ongoing initiatives and identify priorities resulting from the findings of major international meetings on illegal wildlife trade and major initiatives underway on the continent and the opportunities arising from the international mobilization;

• Develop an African strategy to curb illegal logging and illegal trade in African countries which will result in the regional and national strategies;

• Develop a joint program of action involving African countries and consumer countries with the support of partners and donors.

Expected Results

• An international roadmap to fight against the illegal trade in wild species of fauna and flora at all levels in Africa, involving African countries and the consumer countries.

• A program of concrete joint actions to fight against poaching, together with a sustainable funding mechanism for information exchange illicit traffic of wildlife products and flora and capacity building; 

• A draft implementation of the African Common Strategy on the fight against illegal trade in wild fauna and flora;

• A joint statement on the theme of the conference.