Nigeria Joins Elephant Protection
Initiative
Nigeria Joins Elephant Protection
Initiative
The Federal Republic of Nigeria has formally joined the Elephant
Protection Initiative (EPI), a coalition of African countries
dedicated to the sustainable conservation of elephants, and ending
the ivory trade.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for the Environment, Ibrahim Usman
Jibril, speaking in London at the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT)
Conference, said, ‘it is our duty to save what we have inherited
from our parents and grandparents, and our responsibility to
protect species that are endangered.. Nigeria is committed, we will
continue to partner with other African countries and the world at
large to ensure that the intentions of the EPI are carried out at
the highest level’.
John Stephenson of the EPI Secretariat said ‘We are delighted to
welcome Nigeria as the 19th member state in the EPI. As an
African-led initiative, it is important for us to have a true giant
of the continent on board. We held warm and productive talks with
the Nigerian delegation in London, and we look forward to working
with the Nigerian government on ways of shutting down internal
ivory markets, and developing a National Elephant Action Plan
[NEAP]’.
The EPI was founded in 2014 by the leaders of Chad, Gabon,
Ethiopia, Botswana and Tanzania. EPI countries are committed to
shutting down internal ivory markets, putting national ivory
stockpiles beyond economic use, maintaining the international
moratorium on the trade in ivory, and developing National Elephant
Action Plans. These long-term plans, intended to conserve elephants
and benefit the human communities who live alongside them, are
designed to be compatible with the African Elephant Action Plan,
which was signed by all African elephant range states in 2010.
The EPI held its inaugural Consultative Group meeting in London
during the IWT Conference. It was chaired by President Ali Bongo
Ondimba of Gabon, and attended by President Mokgweetsi Masisi of
Botswana, as well as ministerial delegations from several EPI
countries, including Nigeria. Donor governments, including the UK,
and multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, UNDP and the
Global Environmental Facility (GEF) were also present. Seven EPI
countries- Chad, Gabon, Angola, Malawi, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya-
presented completed NEAPs, requiring some 268 million USD over the
next three years.
Africa’s elephant population has fallen dramatically in recent
decades. An estimated 55 African elephants are killed every day,
mostly by ivory poachers. There are thought to be just over 400,000
elephants surviving in sub-saharan Africa, compared with 1.3
million in 1979. Nigeria has only a few hundred surviving
elephants. The largest herd is in Yankari National Park, with
smaller relict populations in the forests of southern Nigeria and
the savannah of northern Nigeria. The EPI’s John Stephenson said ‘
Working together with the Nigerian government, we’d like to ensure
the conservation of Nigeria’s elephants, and also prevent the
smuggling through Nigeria of ivory largely originating from
neighbouring states’. (END)
Saghir el Mohammed
Director Press