Airlines urged to join campaign against wildlife trafficking
An official inspects confiscated elephant tusks last year. A recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime noted that poaching of rhinos and elephants was on the rise. The report detailed that crime gangs in East Africa fuelled by profits in the illicit trade threatened the existence of wildlife. PHOTO/FELIX WAROM OKELLO
What you need to know:
- Dr James Musinguzi, the executive director of the Uganda Wildlife Education Conservation Center (Uwec), claimed some wildlife traffickers are now using different airlines to traffic parts of wild animals across the globe.
Airlines operators in Africa have been urged to prioritise discussions around the fight against wildlife trafficking.
Dr James Musinguzi, the executive director of the Uganda Wildlife Education Conservation Center (Uwec), claimed some wildlife traffickers are now using different airlines to traffic parts of wild animals across the globe.
“The illicit trade in wildlife has grown to an estimated $2.6 billion and airlines play a vital role in helping the traffickers in transportation since we have heard a chance of interacting with the CEOs of airlines and other stakeholders, we are rallying them to work with us and we end this bad habit,” he said.
“Airlines can also raise awareness among communities who purchase these parts of animals so that the traffickers lack the market and that will end the illegal hunting down of wild animals,” he added.
Dr Musinguzi was interacting with some delegates yesterday in Entebbe ahead of the 55th African Airlines Association (AFRAA) annual general assembly that starts today in Munyonyo.
The 2011/15 study by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITIES) indicated that about 1.6 trillion wild animals are killed every year.
Different airlines have over the years promised to make reforms aimed at ending wildlife trafficking in the sector.
In 2019, for example, the Turkish Airlines made a commitment to stop transporting African Grey parrots from Central Africa.
Their Ethiopian counterparts on August 31, 2021, through a direct email response to World Animal Protection promised to review wildlife transportation regulations before Kenya Airways in January 2022 committed to stop the transportation of monkeys and other wild animals used in scientific research.
Agenda
The aviation sector players yesterday toured different animals and birds at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe ahead of today’s summit, which will stretch up to tomorrow.
The AFRAA annual assembly is the biggest aviation summit in Africa and discussions surrounding how airlines, especially in Africa can make profits, opening up African airspaces to all countries and more participation of women in the airlines sector, are among the issues that will top the Agenda as delegates meet.
Speaking at the tour yesterday, the manager of government relations and routes coordination at Uganda Airlines, Mr Deo Nyanzi, expressed airlines’ commitments towards protecting wildlife.
“Airlines are key in promoting Uganda’s tourism and that is why we have positioned Uwec here where all tourists can come and start from here and make choices on which places they want to visit but they jet here faster through airlines and that is why we are key in ensuring that the two co-exist,” he said.
