The missing link: communication to combat wildlife crime
The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. While surrounding countries have seen elephant populations dwindle at the hands of ivory poachers in recent decades, Botswana’s well-managed and heavily armed anti-poaching units kept most of their 130,000-member herd alive. The haunting reality of wildlife crime – of butchered elephants and rhinos; of hyacinth macaws and lemurs stuffed in suitcases, smuggled across international borders; – is miles removed from the shiny world of ivory statues, exotic pets, and exclusive beauty products. According to the World Bank, of the $1.3 million dollars committed to tackling illegal trade in wildlife from 2010 to 2016, only 6 percent was devoted to communications and awareness to change peoples’ behaviour and to halt the demand. Only when illegal wildlife products lose their appeal – when elephant tusks gather dust and poachers have no market for their scales, skins, horns, pets and potions - will we win the fight against this illegal trade.
Jane Seymour backs The Independent’s Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign
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