WWF and Partners Kick start Zero poaching strategy development

Posted on 16 May 2023

WWF East Africa Wildlife Crime Hub together with TRAFFIC and other sister East African Country offices together with TRAFFIC have embarked on the development of the wildlife crime strategy that shall focus on ending poaching in the protected areas of the Greater Virunga Landscape (GVL).

The strategy shall also cover approaches of improving technical and financial aspects of the landscape to reduce illegal wildlife crime.

This was resolved during the annual East Africa Wildlife Crime Hub meeting that was hosted by WWF in Uganda with participants from WWF-Kenya, WWF-Tanzania, TRAFFIC and International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP).

According to the Wildlife and Protected areas manager at WWF Uganda, Daniel Ndizihiwe, the Zero poaching strategy shall also cover strategies for strengthening collaboration between East African community member states while influencing cross border policies that regulate illegal wildlife activities in the region. The strategy will also aim at strengthening transboundary conservation of resources.

The East Africa Wildlife Crime Hub aims at building the technical and financial capacity of WWF and TRAFFIC country offices to tackle wildlife crime and enhance cross-sectoral coordination and cooperation among all partners and governments. The Hub also provides technical support, equipment, infrastructure and training to mandated authorities to combat wildlife crime in the protected areas of the GVL.

According to WWF Uganda AG Country Director, Simon Peter Weredwong, the programmatic work that the Hub helps to facilitate will influence and support the implementation of existing legal, policy and institutional frameworks by working closely with and through the mandated institutions.

“Poaching is now a sophisticated, highly organized, multinational business. To combat it, anti-poaching must be the same. This is what this strategy will adopt”, he added.

East Africa Wildlife Crime (EA WC) Hub comprises of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania with transboundary links to Northern Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This geographical scope complements and adds value to WWF’s existing and proposed work in Central and Southern Africa, forming a transformational approach across Africa.

East Africa Wildlife Crime Hub members after a successful engagement