New action plan to save Central Africa’s wildlife

Eight countries working together to tackle poaching

November 2011: Eight central African countries have agreed on an action plan to strengthen national wildlife laws in the region.

Delegates from the eight countries met last week in Douala, Cameroon, to finalise the five-year plan to tackle large-scale poaching and illegal wildlife trade. The countries are working together to ensure better co-operation and intelligence sharing between enforcement officers across the region.

PRECIOUS: The mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park in the DRC are among those animals that should benefit from the new action plan

The meeting brought together representatives from the COMIFAC member countries-Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Four key issues have been addressed by the action plan:

• i) Co-operation and collaboration among relevant wildlife law enforcement and prosecution authorities.
• ii) Investigations at key border and transit points as well as domestic markets and transboundary areas.
• iii) Effective deterrents and prosecutions.
• iv) Raising awareness of illegal wildlife trade issues.

‘This Action Plan underlines the commitment of Central African governments to address the illegal wildlife trade, which remains a key threat in the region to conservation of animals such as elephants and great apes,' said Stéphane Ringuet, Regional Director of TRAFFIC Central Africa.

The finalised plan will form the basis of a wildlife enforcement network in Central Africa, similar to networks operational or in development in Central America, Europe, South and South-East Asia.

TRAFFIC's experience in supporting the establishment of enforcement networks helped inform discussions, as did WWF's insights into the functioning of the cross-border anti-poaching collaboration between Cameroon, Central African Republic and DRC.