Join China in banning ivory trade: Mkapa

Dar es Salaam. Former President Benjamin Mkapa yesterday urged countries around the world to join China in its decision to ban ivory trade.

Speaking after the walk organised by Chinese embassy in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Mr Mkapa said there were many countries which were pointing an accusing finger at China claiming it to be a major obstacle towards anti-poaching strategies.

But with the recent announcement, China has shown to the world that it was now a committed supporter of the anti-poaching crusade and other countries should follow suit.

He made the remarks yesterday after a march that covered five kilometres dubbed ‘Walk for Elephants’. Participants in the walk carried placards with various messages hailing the Tanzania and China unity in anti- poaching drive.

“It is not right and fair for countries to continue pointing an accusing fingers at China as a major facilitator of ivory trade while it (China) has become the first to announce publicly its decision to ban the trade. We are, therefore, currently reaching out to those that have not come out openly to do so to prove they are serious in addressing this problem,” he said.

He specifically called on the US, Asian as well as European countries to emulate China because they will not have ivory market in the coming years.

“It is encouraging so see that although China was not the only country that allowed ivory trade, but it is the first to come out and ban it,” he said.

He insisted that the preservation of wildlife was paramount and encouraged African countries to regard wildlife heritage as their national treasures meant to develop the countries and their people.

Mr Mkapa, who is the vice chairman of the Africa Wildlife Foundation, added that the continued killing of elephants has been a major concern not only to the institution, but many countries around the world.

“We know that tourism has continued to contribute as a forex earner in many countries and it is wildlife, particularly the big five including the elephant that attract the most of tourists. Therefore, the more wildlife are conserved the more tourism and tax increase,” he argued.

Natural Resources and Tourism permanent secretary Gaudence Milanzi said the China decision to ban ivory trade has assured the government of 70 per cent success in eradicating killing of biggest land spices in the country. He said that the endangered spices would continue increasing in numbers especially if the government will continue with its awareness campaigns from the grassroots to the national levels. The PS urged people engaged in illegal game businesses such as ivory trade to stop because there was no more lucrative market given the China move.

“It would be disappointing to see people still dealing in ivory trade while China wants to help end the killings of elephants,” he said.

He furthered that in recent decades, poaching was one of biggest threats to wildlife conservation in the country but currently environment pollution was also taking the upper hand, whereby he urged every citizen to join hands in the preservation of the environment.

China ambassador to Tanzania, Dr Lu Youquing, said wildlife protection was a systematic work involving severe challenges and arduous tasks, therefore attention and support from the international community were badly needed. “It is our hope we will make a great achievement in protecting elephants because both these and humans are important,” he said.

He said that it was obvious that poverty among the common people was one of the causes of poaching, and that it was only through promoting development and enabling people’s incomes to increase and improve their livelihoods that poaching and trafficking could be eradicated.

According to him, to end this China will continue to invest more in Tanzania and promote bilateral economic cooperations that will result in the creation of more jobs for locals.

Recently, China announced banning processing and sales of ivory for commercial purposes by the end of 2017.

The implementation of processing will effectively start in March.