All nations must join hands, protect endangered species targeted by poachers

Jul 2, 2013 20:31 GMT  ·  By

On Monday, US President Barack Obama visited Africa and gave a speech announcing that his administration was determined to put an end to wildlife crime.

What worries President Obama is the fact that poaching activities in this part of the world have for some time now stopped being small-scale operations.

As a result, not just biodiversity, but also international security and economy are threatened by them.

Barack Obama said that, in the following months, the White House would provide wildlife rangers and conservationists in Africa with $10 million (€7.76 million).

The money will be spent on training rangers and on technologies that will allow said rangers to better monitor and fight back poaching activities in areas inhabited by rhinos, elephants and other endangered species, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) informs us.

The President also announced that the White House wished to set the basis for a so-called presidential task force on wildlife trafficking.

This task force would be led by the Interior, State and Justice Department and would be in charge of rolling out a national strategy aimed at combating wildlife trafficking, Barack Obama explained.

Commenting on President Obama's speech, the current President and CEO of WWF-US stated as follows:

“President Obama’s commitment to help stop the global crime wave that is emptying the continent’s forests and savannas is welcome news. It gives a critical boost for everyone involved in fighting wildlife trafficking – from rangers on the ground to local conservation groups to decision-makers around the globe.

“The future of our wild world rests in our hands, and now we must move with all due speed to make sure elephants, rhinos and other extraordinary creatures don’t disappear forever.”

Once the presidential task force on wildlife trafficking is created, the President expects that the national strategy intended to halt poaching and illegal trafficking activities be completed in about 6 months' time.