TANZANIA WILL NOT SELL ELEPHANTS TUSKS

The Tanzania Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism Hon. Lazaro Nyalandu

Minister Nyalandu said that the government’s decision was reached since late last year after signing government’s commitment to support the former U.S. president’s wife institution known as Clinton Global Initiative, Hilary Clinton, advocating a ban on elephant tusks trade in the world.
In addition, Minister Nyalandu noted that in the past three years, 19.7 tons of elephant tusks have been seized globally and among those 15.2 tons were seized by the Government of Tanzania in collaboration with other various institutions including the International community.
Minister Nyalandu said that the government is in the process of conducting a major national census which will give the actual number of elephants in the country and that the recently conducted census in the ecosystems of Selou - Mikumi and Ruaha - Rungwa were to provide initial data that indicated the presence of 13,084 elephants in the eco- system of Selou - Mikumi and more than 20,000 in Ruaha– Rungwa.

The Tanzania government will not submit an application to sell its reserves of elephant tusks to CITES, as part of supporting efforts by the international community to ban the illegal trade on elephant tusks around the world. The Tanzania Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism Hon. Lazaro Nyalandu has said that in London, England where he is attending the International Conference on the Illicit Wildlife Trade.

Commenting on the progress being made by Tanzania in the fight against poaching, Minister Nyalandu said that by the end of 2013, some 320 accused convicts from European Union countries, China, Africa and Tanzania were arrested after being implicated in the ivory trade pending legal procedures.

In regards to wildlife conservation, Nyalandu said that National Parks are now becoming more secure for wildlife survival in Africa. He said data indicates that for the past three years the number of elephants killed in the Serengeti National Park decreased from an average of three elephants per month to zero and that it is the country’s place with the highest population of black rhinos.

By Pascal Shelutete, TANAPA

Translation by Laura, WWF-TZ

ANTI POACHING BILLBOARDS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA DR. JAKAYA MRISHO KIKWETE

A billboards by the president of the United Republic of Tanzania Hon. Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete which has the message of anti-poaching campaign as seen in the night outside the Julius Nyerere International Airport Dar es Salaam.

The anti-poaching campaign billboard as seen outside the Julius Nyerere International Airport Dar Es Salaam, this billboard is part of  the president’s of the United Republic of Tanzania Hon. Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete initiatives to stop poaching in Tanzania.

A billboards by the president of the United Republic of Tanzania Hon. Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete which has the message of anti-poaching campaign outside the Julius Nyerere International Airport Dar es Salaam.

President of the United Republic of Tanzania Hon. Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete was click the button marking the launch of a of billboards mobilizing a campaign to fight against the illegal wildlife trade in the poaching of elephant tusks and rhino, 11^th February 2014 at the Julius Nyerere International Airport Dar es Salaam.

Some of the invited guests, The Ministry Natural Resources and Tourism officials and the Press looking on as the president of the United Republic of Tanzania Hon. Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete  inaugurates the anti-poaching campaign billboards on the 11^th February 2014.

KIKWETE SUSPENDS IVORY AUCTION BID

News from: http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=64756

The anti-poaching campaign billboard as seen outside the Julius Nyerere International Airport Dar es Salaam, this billboard is part of  the president’s of the United Republic of Tanzania Hon. Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete initiatives to stop poaching in Tanzania.

  Mulls destroying the pile to deny illegal dealers loophole to dispose their hoard

  To campaign for total ban of tusk sales

President Jakaya Kikwete has ordered the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism to suspend plans to selling the ivory stockpile, saying it could provide a loophole for illegal dealers to unload their hoard.

 

He said it was better for the stockpile to be destroyed at this time when the country has intensified the war against poaching, to deny poachers loophole to sell their illegal hoard.

 

President Kikwete issued the directive on Tuesday in Dar es Salaam during the launching of anti-poaching billboards to sensitise people to join fight against poaching.

 

The president left for London to attend the Conference on Combating illegal Trade and Trafficking of Elephant, Rhino and Tiger which starts today.

 

He said the government will soon start using new technology to identify those who spot the animals and rangers.

 

“We are going to introduce drones for surveillance in our national parks…we hope that other nations will give us support to completely fight poaching networks”.

 

Kikwete however noted that apart from elephant poaching other animals like lions and leopard have also been killed in the country.

 

“This kind of poaching involves the killing of lions and leopards due to their skins being in high demand by some leaders who use them as their symbols,” Kikwete said, adding however that their numbers are still satisfactory. 

 

Other animals were being killed for their meat, said to be in high demand in various parts of the world.

 

Kikwete said efforts by the government to fight poaching in the country will not be successful unless there is a total ban on ivory trade.

 

He said that during his participation in the meeting in London, his campaign message to western countries and the world at large will be a call for a total ban of Ivory trade.

He said the mass slaughter of elephants in the 1970s and 1980s, led to the global ivory trade ban by the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

 

According to him, Thailand, Bangkok, Vietnam and China are the major ivory markets in the world and if they and the world in general agree to stop buying the trophies, they will boost the campaign against poaching.

 

The president admitted that there are challenges in the fight against poaching, including the parks being too large…Selous national park is more than 200,000 square kilometers.
 

The president said in fact deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test of ivory seized in Sri Lanka recently showed that the tusks were from Selous and Ruaha national parks, which shows that Tanzania is contributing a lot to the illegal international ivory market. 

   

Earlier welcoming the president, deputy minister for tourism and natural resources, Mahmoud Mgimwa said that inadequate money and working tools are obstacles to fight poaching.

CONGRATULATIONS DR MARCO LAMBERTINI - DIRECTOR GENERAL OF WWF INTERNATIONAL

Dr Marco Lambertini - Director General Of WWF International

Gland, Switzerland: WWF announced today February 6, 2014 the appointment of Dr Marco Lambertini as Director General of WWF International.

Currently Chief Executive of BirdLife International, Marco will begin his new role with the global conservation organization on 1 May 2014.

Yolanda Kakabadse, President of the WWF International Board of Trustees, said: “Dr Marco Lambertini was the outstanding candidate in a broad field of exceptional applicants. We were searching for someone with proven global leadership credentials as well as a global mindset, first-class scientific and political acumen, someone who is an energetic fundraiser, a campaigner and a natural communicator, who demonstrates the passion and drive to save life on Earth.

"Marco ticks all of these boxes and more. On behalf of my colleagues on the WWF International Board of Trustees, it gives me great pleasure to welcome Marco to WWF.”

With 25 years of global conservation leadership, Marco Lambertini began his association with WWF as a youth volunteer growing up in his native Italy. Prior to his current role as Chief Executive of BirdLife International, Marco was Global Director of Network and Program for over a decade.

That role saw him broaden BirdLife’s global reach and relevance, and develop decentralized structures for more effective global conservation impact.

Dr Marco Lambertini said: “I am delighted and incredibly excited to serve an organization like WWF – and to contribute to fully realize its immense potential as a catalyst and agent for change for the benefit of people and nature.

"WWF’s authority and visibility, global reach, civil society support and local presence can deliver what the planet and its people need: real change towards sustainable living across sectors, cultures and continents – a truly global vision for a planet where people and nature can thrive in harmony.”

The outgoing Director General of WWF International, Jim Leape, announced his decision to leave the organization last year. His last day at WWF will be 31 March 2014. Starting in July, Jim will be a consulting professor at Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment.

Jim Leape said: “It gives me great pride and pleasure to hand over the baton as Director General of WWF International to a conservation leader of such stature and experience as Dr Marco Lambertini. I congratulate Marco on his appointment and I am confident that WWF will reach even greater heights under his leadership.”

Statement by the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Hon. Lazaro S. Nyalandu (MP) given today, 3rd... by michuzi