Poaching could wipe out a fifth of the population of African elephants in the next decade
In 2012, were killed illegally less than three thousand African elephants that in 2011, reveals a report from the Convention for international trade of Natural Flora and Fauna threatened with extinction (CITES, the acronym in English), which monitors several populations of elephants.Although there has been a reduction, the number of dead animals due to hunting for the illegal trafficking of ivory amounts to 22 million in 2012, which equates a poaching rate (the proportion of elephants killed illegally in relation to the number of the total population) of 7.4%. This value of the poaching rate is superior to the natural increase of the population of African elephants, which does not exceed the 5% per annum. Faced with this high number of elephants killed illegally, CITES estimates that a fifth of the population of these elephants can be decimated in the next decade, referred to Quartz.The seizure of illegal shipments of ivory, which trade analysts consider to be a good indicator of trends of poaching, increased slightly in 2012. But the number of seized illegal shipments as early as 2013 points so that the value is 20% higher compared to that of 2011. In addition to increasing the number of seizures, the amount of ivory confiscated shipment is also increasing. The amount of ivory confiscated this year is to be the largest of the last 25 years.The decrease in the number of elephants killed illegally in 2012 may be related to the fact that the number of shipments of ivory being smaller in amount, but larger in volume, since the average weight of shipments increased 15% compared to 2011.One of the main export markets of ivory is China. "Ultimately, the illegal slaughter of elephants for the ivory trade is driven and sustained by demand from consumers who are willing to pay for illegal ivory, as examined by the domestic consumption in China," said the report.To combat the increase in poaching, elephants not only, but also of other protected species, the European Union approved this week a programme to improve the protection of elephants, great apes and rhinos in Africa, as well as other species such as sea turtles in the Caribbean and Pacific.The programme should strengthen the monitoring of animal populations and poaching, help to strengthen the legal framework for poaching and allow the creation of an emergency response system for sudden increases of hunting and illegal trade.The program â€" Minimising the Illegal Killing of Elephants and other Endangered Species (MIKES) â€" will be funded with €12,3 million for the period from 2014-2018 and will be implemented by CITES, in collaboration with several agencies of protection of African animal life.
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