Voice 1
Hello. I’m Rachel Hobson.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
A woman looks around a market. She sees hundreds of blankets spread on the ground. Sellers have carefully placed their products on the blankets. Everyone is selling different things. In one area, there are many blankets with beautiful small objects. These are objects of jewellery that people buy to wear on their necks, fingers and arms. The woman inspects the jewellery. She sees a ring for her finger. The ring is white. It has many designs carved or cut on it - and it is very beautiful. She asks the seller ‘What is this ring made of?’
He tells her ‘Ivory.’
The woman is surprised to see ivory. In many countries it is illegal to trade in it. She knows the ivory came from a large animal - probably an elephant. The tusks on the elephant’s face are really just extra large teeth, but they are made of ivory. Often, elephants are killed just for their tusks. The woman puts down the ring. She does not want to buy an ivory product. She does not want more elephants to be killed.
Voice 2
In today’s Spotlight we tell of the ivory trade. We talk about poachers. Poachers are the people who kill animals illegally. We tell of creative efforts to stop the poachers
Voice 1
In the 1970’s and 1980’s, ivory trading was a serious problem. The world’s elephant populations were in danger. Many governments felt deep concern about this. They wanted an international ban on ivory trading.
Voice 2
The ban took a while. It finally came in 1989. It came through an agreement between many governments about protecting wildlife. The agreement is called the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, C.I.T.E.S., or CITES. Under CITES many countries agreed not to trade in ivory or any elephant products. And some countries decided to support African countries’ efforts to protect their elephants. They provided money and other resources.
Voice 1
Elephant populations started to recover, especially in southern Africa. People around the world were encouraged. Much of the international community believed the problem was over. They stopped sending financial support to protect elephants. But they did not know how quickly the problem would start again.
Voice 2
Critics of CITES believe a change in policy was to blame. In 1997, CITES removed elephants from the list of most protected animals. But this only applied to some countries - Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. These countries had large amounts of ivory from before the ban. They wanted to sell this ivory. So CITES permitted them to sell their old ivory to Japan. But animal experts were worried. They knew many traders would sell new ivory, claiming that it was old.
Voice 1
Because elephants were no longer on the most protected list in Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia, the elephant debate started to become intense. These countries and other southern African countries said that their elephant populations were growing too large. They asked CITES to permit a limited amount of trade in elephant parts.
Voice 2
Animal experts were strongly opposed to this. They said that protecting elephants in some countries, but not in others, would lead to problems. When an industry has become firmly established, it can be difficult to stop. In 2007, CITES denied the limited trade request. At the CITES meeting, countries agreed to a nine year ban on ivory trading. However, illegal trade had been increasing for many years.
Voice 1
The worst example of this was in 1992. In Singapore, inspectors found the largest number of elephant tusks they had ever seen. They believed over six thousand [6,000] elephants were killed for their tusks. DNA or gene testing showed the tusks were from Zambia.
Voice 2
The aid group Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) works to help stop poaching. COMACO believes that many people poach because they are very poor. It decided to offer training to poachers in Zambia to help them find other jobs. But it did not only train them in one new skill. Instead it trained them in several skills. COMACO believes it is better not to depend on just one job or resource for money.
Voice 1
Since 2001, COMACO has trained over three hundred and fifty [350] poachers. It trains them how to work with wood as carpenters. It trains them to work with bees. These insects produce sweet liquid honey - and the honey is a money-earning food product. COMACAO also trains poachers in a conservation method of farming - a way that protects natural resources. COMACO continues to help them after they harvest their crops. It transports their goods, processes them, and sends them to local markets. COMACO offers a very good price for these crops. But it will only buy the crops from people who stop poaching completely.
Voice 2
The government in Zambia is very happy with the progress that COMACO is making. But poaching is not just a problem in Zambia. Other countries are concerned about stopping it too. They are also looking for local solutions. Increasingly they are seeing the effectiveness of involving local communities in the struggle against poaching. Kenya and Namibia have had much success in this area.
Voice 1
Aid groups working in Kenya and Namibia wanted to help local people earn money from visitors. They knew that thousands of people around the world visit countries where they can see wild animals. These tourists pay a lot of money for this experience. But often the local populations were not receiving any of this money. So aid groups helped local people start their own tourist businesses. Local people managed traditional hotels and became wildlife guides. The Namibian government also made laws to help the local population manage land. One local woman in Namibia said:
Voice 3
“People come here to see the desert elephants, the wildlife and the local people. We have stopped poaching because we value wildlife and what tourism can do.”
Voice 2
Foreign companies want to do more business with locally owned companies. Vicky Stirling works for a company that sells holidays in Africa. She said:
Voice 4
“You see more and more local people making money from tourism. And tourists really like this kind of thing. They feel they are helping local communities.”
Voice 1
Local communities in Zambia, Namibia and Kenya have much hope for the future. They are showing how local community development is the way forward. And former poachers are showing that they too can change. Once they were part of the problem. But now they are becoming become part of the solution.
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