The Wild Africa Fund, a wildlife protection organisation based in South Africa, is experimenting with a number of repellents to protect elephants from conflict with humans. In Africa, human-wildlife conflicts are one of the causes of the disappearance of African elephants. The species now numbers around 415,000, compared with 3 to 5 million at the beginning of the 20th century.
Toute l'actu sur la protection de l'environnement
The Wild Africa Fund, a wildlife protection organisation based in South Africa, is experimenting with a number of repellents to protect elephants from conflict with humans. In Africa, human-wildlife conflicts are one of the causes of the disappearance of African elephants. The species now numbers around 415,000, compared with 3 to 5 million at the beginning of the 20th century.
The conservation of African elephants means keeping them in parks and nature reserves. This is one of the recommendations made to African governments on 12 August 2023 by the Wild Africa Fund, to mark World Elephant Day. The wildlife protection organisation, based in South Africa with offices in Nigeria and Rwanda, presented the various techniques it uses to limit elephant movements in protected areas.
In Zimbabwe, the Wild Africa Fund has teamed up with the Tikobane Trust (a community organisation seeking to empower and educate communities living in and around Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s largest) to use an elephant repellent. It’s a concoction of chilli, garlic and rotten eggs. A non-toxic product, according to these ecologists.
« In Nigeria, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) uses satellite collars to improve monitoring of elephant movements, enabling a quicker response when they venture outside the reserve, » says Festus Iyorah, Nigeria’s representative to the Wild Africa Fund. These repellents aim to reduce incidents of human-elephant conflict (HEC), including the use of elephant guards, the construction of watchtowers and the establishment of a beehive and scent fences for the elephants.
Pachyderms on the brink of extinction
African elephant species are now « Endangered » and « Critically Endangered », according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The latest assessments show a significant decline in the number of African elephants across the continent. The number of African forest elephants has fallen by more than 86% over a period of 31 years, while the population of African savannah elephants has declined by at least 60% over the last 50 years, according to the assessments.
Nigeria is one of the countries where the species is most persecuted. The Wild Africa Fund states that over the past 30 years, the elephant population in the West African country has declined considerably, from an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 individuals two decades ago to a current estimate of 300 to 400.
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Dans le cadre d’une vaste opération de lutte contre le trafic d’ivoire au Gabon, une opération d’envergure a permis d’intercepter une cargaison importante d’ivoire qui devait être acheminé depuis le Gabon vers le Cameroun par un vaste réseau organisé de trafic d’ivoire. Plusieurs personnes ont été interpellées dont au moins deux des protagonistes importants de ce trafic international.
Les journées du 8, 9 et 10 août 2023 marquent un tournant significatif dans la lutte acharnée contre le commerce illicite d’ivoire au Gabon.
En effet, dans la soirée du mardi 8 août 2023, des agents de la Police Judiciaire de la province du Moyen-Ogooué (située à l’ouest du Gabon) ont interpelé une personne suspectée de participer activement au trafic d’ivoire. Grâce à des renseignements cruciaux obtenus grâce à des enquêtes approfondies, le principal suspect, un Gabonais d’origine camerounaise, a été appréhendé au volant d’un véhicule en compagnie de sa compagne.
Une fouille minutieuse et longue du véhicule a finalement révélé l’existence d'un compartiment secret astucieusement conçu et dissimulé sous la benne du véhicule de type pick-up utilisé par le présumé trafiquant d'ivoire. Les agents ont découvert 19 pointes d’ivoire et 4 morceaux d’ivoire totalisant un poids de 120 kg, 18 munitions de grande chasse de calibre 458, près d’un million de FCFA en espèces, des substances illicites (Tramadol) ainsi qu’une carte de séjour expirée appartenant à un célèbre trafiquant d’ivoire camerounais.
Le présumé trafiquant arrêté a reconnu sa participation dans la détention, l’achat et le transport illégal de ces ivoires, admettant la nature illégale de ses activités. Il a également évoqué sa collaboration avec un autre trafiquant d’ivoire bien connu de la justice et qui venait justement d'être arrêté pour d’autres motifs par les agents de la Direction Générale de Recherche de la Gendarmerie de la province du Moyen-Ogooué. Devant les évidences, ce deuxième trafiquant a également reconnu certains faits qui lui ont été reprochés.
Dans une succession d’opérations stratégiques, les agents de la police judiciaire ont continué à faire tomber les pièces du puzzle. Un autre complice a été interpellé le 9 août 2023 pour son rôle présumé en tant que vendeur d’une partie du lot d’ivoire saisi, qui viendrait en ce qui le concerne de la ville de Mandji. Et le 10 août 2023, un autre maillon de l’organisation a été appréhendé. Il aurait facilité une transaction d’ivoire, cette fois à Lambaréné.
Le directeur-fondateur de l’ONG Conservation Justice, qui appuie les autorités gabonaises dans leur lutte contre le trafic d’ivoire s’est voulu optimiste en félicitant l’opération réalisée : « Ce type d’opération est capital et à renouveler pour démanteler les quelques gros réseaux de trafic d’ivoire qui ont pu se maintenir au Gabon où la volonté politique en faveur de l’environnement demeure forte. La population d’éléphant de forêt y est estimée à 95.000 éléphants et semble stable, ce qui en fait leur dernier grand refuge. Mais la pression demeure, notamment depuis le Cameroun » déclare Luc mathot.
Envergure de l'organisation criminelle
Les individus appréhendés sont soupçonnés de faire partie d'un réseau criminel bien organisé qui opère entre le Cameroun et le Gabon depuis plusieurs longues années et est suspecté d’avoir déjà exporter du Gabon vers le Cameroun plusieurs tonnes d’ivoire.
Ce réseau fournit des fonds, des munitions et facilite le transport d'ivoire d’éléphants tués par des braconniers organisés, ce qui représente une menace sérieuse pour la survie des éléphants et la sécurité nationale. L'utilisation de véhicules équipés de compartiments secrets vise à dissimuler l'ivoire et à échapper aux contrôles. Plus d'une dizaine de personnes pourraient être impliquées, avec des points de dépôt d'ivoire répartis dans différentes provinces du Gabon. L'organisation a mis en place un système moderne et sophistiqué pour assurer le succès de ses opérations de collecte et de livraison d’ivoire vers le Cameroun.
Répercussions de l'opération
Conservation Justice souligne l'importance cruciale de cette opération des forces de l'ordre dans la lutte continue contre la criminalité environnementale au Gabon. Cette avancée significative démontre l’engagement fort des autorités gabonaises et l'efficacité de leur collaboration avec les organisations non gouvernementales pour démanteler les réseaux criminels qui menacent les éléphants de forêt.
Liens avec le crime international
La criminalité liée à la faune sauvage génère d'importants profits pour les réseaux criminels, rivalisant avec le trafic de drogues, d'armes et d'êtres humains. Cela constitue un risque sécuritaire important à cause de réseaux organisés de type mafieux et prêts à tout pour s’enrichir. Les défenses d'éléphants restent prisées en Asie, malgré les efforts déployés par certains pays, comme la Chine qui a finalement interdit le commerce intérieur d'ivoire en 2015.
Le succès de cette opération souligne la volonté politique au Gabon mais également l’importance de la collaboration régionale dans la lutte contre le trafic illégal de faune. En effet, ce réseau international est organisé depuis le Cameroun qui est un pays de transit pour l’ivoire en destination de l’Asie.
A ce sujet, le fondateur du réseau EAGLE, actif sur
une dizaine de pays dont le Cameroun et le Gabon, explique que : « Le
trafic illégal de faune est permis à cause de la corruption. C’est ici un
triste exemple de cela, avec un réseau criminel organisé qui amène les
éléphants vers l'extinction. Un des dirigeants principaux de ce réseau a été
condamné au Cameroun à une peine de prison ridicule malgré son arrestation avec
plus de 600 kg d’ivoire en 2020. Et leurs activités illégales ont été
maintenues sans avoir été réellement dérangées.
»
Boris
Ngounou
Gabon : un camerounais interpelé avec 120 kg d’ivoire
Dans le cadre d’une vaste opération de lutte contre le trafic d’ivoire au Gabon, une opération d’envergure a permis d’intercepter une cargaison importante d’ivoire qui devait être acheminé depuis le Gabon vers le Cameroun par un vaste réseau organisé de trafic d’ivoire. Plusieurs personnes ont été interpellées dont au moins deux des protagonistes importants de ce trafic international.
The 23 March Movement (M23) has once again been accused of pillaging the wildlife and floral resources of Virunga National Park in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Fourteen environmental organisations have just appealed to the President of the DRC to find an urgent solution to save this World Heritage site.
In a letter sent to the
President of the Democratic Republic of Congo on 20 July 2023, fourteen
environmental organisations condemned acts of looting by armed groups in the
Virunga National Park in the east of the country. The 23 March Movement (M23)
is the main armed group singled out by environmental activists. This rebellion
is accused of poaching, charcoal burning, trafficking in wood and charcoal,
trafficking in baby primates and other activities in Africa's oldest nature
reserve, created in 1925 and listed as a world heritage site by the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) since 1979.
President Félix Antoine
Tshisekedi Tshilombo is being called on to find an urgent solution to preserve
this site, which is vital for biodiversity. The fourteen organisations are also
calling on the Head of State to include in his diplomatic efforts the need to
protect what remains of the Virunga National Park. They are also calling for a
joint investigation, involving the regional force of the East African Community
(EAC), the United Nations Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) and the International
Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), to ensure that these acts, which
they call environmental crimes and war crimes, are punished.
Dislodging the M23 from
Virunga Park
This is the second time in
the space of six months that the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo
has been questioned about the ravages of the M23 in Virunga Park. In an open
letter sent to President Félix Tshisekedi on Sunday 15 January 2023, Gorilla
Ambassador warned of the threats posed by the M23 to animal species in Virunga
Park, following its encampment at Mont Sabinyo in Rutshuru territory in North
Kivu. Alain Mukiranya, the organisation's deputy director, believes that animal
species are threatened by poaching in the Mont Sabinyo region, which is
occupied by the M23. "The cantonment of the rebels at Mont Sabinyo is a
danger for the gorillas, which have long been threatened by war, poaching and
loss of habitat. The presence of these rebels (the M23, editor's note) will
increase the poaching rate because they will be hunting and cutting down trees
to produce charcoal for sale", warns Alain Mukiranya.
The M23 rebel group has
also set up its rear base in the area of the park occupied by the mountain
gorillas, making it impossible to monitor the primates. In a press release
published on 20 December 2022 by the Congolese Institute for Conservation and
Nature (ICCN), which manages the park, the M23 rebels are presented as the main
threat currently facing the mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park.
The M23, a predominantly
Tutsi armed group (an ethnic group from neighbouring Rwanda) that was defeated
in 2013, took up arms again in late 2021 and stepped up its offensive in
October 2022, seizing large swathes of territory north of Goma, the capital of
North Kivu in the east of the DRC. The region serves as a rear base for a dozen
other local armed groups, including the Forces démocratiques de libération du
Rwanda (FDLR).
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DRC: 14 NGOs accuse M23 rebels of looting in Virunga Park
The 23 March Movement (M23) has once again been accused of pillaging the wildlife and floral resources of Virunga National Park in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Fourteen environmental organisations have just appealed to the President of the DRC to find an urgent solution to save this World Heritage site.
Ekolo ya Bonobo could close. The world’s only bonobo reintegration reserve, located in the north-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been at a standstill since 13 June 2023. The reason: violence perpetrated by as yet unidentified armed assailants in Basankusu, in the Equateur province where the reserve is located. Four primates were shot dead.
This is a precautionary
measure, and it is not yet known how long it will last. Those in charge of the
Ekolo ya Bonobo reserve have decided to suspend their activities in order to
get a clearer picture of the violence they are facing. For several weeks now,
the world's only bonobo reintegration reserve, located in the north-west of the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been facing the wrath of its local
residents.
According to local
sources, on 13 June 2023, local residents of Ekolo ya Bonobo shot dead four
primates and set fire to houses on the reserve site, before marching down to the
commercial and administrative centre of Basankusu, where they marched along the
main thoroughfares. The crowd dispersed in the early afternoon thanks to
deterrent fire from the police.
Failure to comply with
social clauses signed with park residents
Local residents blame Abc
Ekolo ya Bonobo, an organisation set up in the region 14 years ago to protect
the Bonobo monkeys, for failing to comply with the social clauses signed with
them. These include the payment of customary royalties.
The situation was the
subject of a meeting of the territorial security committee attended by Abc
Ekolo ya Bonobo officials. "We hope that the investigations currently
under way will enable us to understand who these people are and what their
demands are, so that we can sit down and work together, within the framework of
the Conflict Resolution Committee, which is a body specific to the reserve, to
resolve this situation peacefully", hopes Fanny Minesi, General
Manager of Abc Ekolo ya Bonobo, speaking to RFI.
The size of the bonobo
population is unknown, as only 30% of the species' historical range has been
studied. The bonobo is a particularly threatened species due to its exclusive
distribution in the DRC, a region ravaged by war, deforestation, diamond mining
and hunting for its meat.
Boris Ngounou
DRC: violence threatens to close the world’s only bonobo reserve
Ekolo ya Bonobo could close. The world’s only bonobo reintegration reserve, located in the north-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been at a standstill since 13 June 2023. The reason: violence perpetrated by as yet unidentified armed assailants in Basankusu, in the Equateur province where the reserve is located. Four primates were shot dead.
French online sales giant Leboncoin has tightened its regulations against the ivory trade. In addition to ivory items, the company is now removing from its platform any item that might turn out to be made of ivory. This measure is in support of elephant conservation efforts in Africa. The continent has lost more than 100,000 elephants in 20 years due to the ivory trade.
The fight against the
virtual trade routes used by cybercriminals to exploit wildlife, in particular
the ivory trade, has just moved up a gear. Popular with almost 28 million
visitors every month, the French online sales platform Leboncoin has just
adopted a more radical stance by applying a new ban based on the precautionary
principle.
The ban includes listings
with terms such as "imitation ivory" or "ivory-style", as
well as any item described as being made from a material similar to ivory, such
as bone, resin or plastic. "By adopting the precautionary principle,
which aims to ban from the platform any item that could turn out to be made of
ivory, we are affirming more than ever our desire to take a responsible
approach to Leboncoin, not only with regard to animals, but also by protecting
our users who could be taken advantage of," says Amandine de Souza,
Leboncoin's Managing Director.
This tightening of
restrictions follows comments made by the International Fund for Animal Welfare
(IFAW), which is supporting Leboncoin in its anti-ivory trade strategy. The
regular monitoring carried out by the wildlife protection organisation
highlighted the risk of fraud linked to misleading advertisements claiming that
the items sold were not made of ivory. "The new regulations introduced
by Leboncoin put an end to the subterfuges used until now by sellers to market
prohibited items on their site. This is a major step forward in the fight
against the ivory trade, and shows the way for other platforms to follow",
says Mia Crnojevic, Ifaw's campaign manager.
Such a measure could curb
the bleeding of elephants, particularly in Africa. A recent study by Elephants
Without Borders (EWB) revealed that more than 100,000 elephants have been
killed for their tusks in Africa since 2007. While elephant poaching has
decreased in East Africa, the phenomenon persists in West, Central and Southern
Africa.
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AFRICA: Leboncoin adopts new regulations against the ivory trade
French online sales giant Leboncoin has tightened its regulations against the ivory trade. In addition to ivory items, the company is now removing from its platform any item that might turn out to be made of ivory. This measure is in support of elephant conservation efforts in Africa. The continent has lost more than 100,000 elephants in 20 years due to the ivory trade.