Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), on Monday in Abuja stressed the need Monday for Nigeria to put in place the right incentives to boost private investment, revive growth and move out of recession. He also reassured authorities of the Bank’s unwavering support during these difficult times.
Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank. Photo credit: res.cloudinary.com
“What is needed is not only to spend your way out of the recession, but to also incentivise your way out of the recession,” Dr Adesina, himself a Nigeria, told a news conference following his meetings with President Muhammadu Buhari and his Economic Management Team.
Adesina is on his first official visit to Nigeria, since he took office in September 2015.
Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, is in recession. Following the decline in the price of oil, foreign earnings have collapsed, and the current account and fiscal deficits have worsened, leading to a sharp depreciation of the Naira. Inflation exceeds 17%.
Dividends of Devaluation
Oil exports represent 98% of the Government foreign exchange earnings, but account for only 10% of the GDP. “Diversification is not the problem,” Adesina said. The problem is that the rest of the economy is not able to generate enough revenues for the Government and foreign exchange earnings.
In order to reap what Adesina called the “dividends of the Naira devaluation”, Nigeria needs to incentivise the rest of the economy: incentives for foreign direct investment (FDI) to go into the critical sectors, especially agriculture and agro-industrial sectors, solid minerals; and to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), an important job creator. He also called for incentivising the manufacturing and industrial sectors to do import substitution.
“With the right incentives, the country will come out of the recession, structurally better balanced,” he said. The revenue base will be more diversified. The Government will get more resources from better performing manufacturing and industrial sectors and SMEs. And, most importantly, unemployment will decline substantially.
Bank Support
Adesina also commended the authorities for taking bold action. The removal of the fuel subsidies and the devaluation of the Naira were “bold decisions,” he said. He also confirmed the Bank’s support to Nigeria.
The Bank is finalising a $1-billion budget support operation. The Board is expected to consider this operation next month. The Bank will also provide $300 million for youth employment in agribusiness, through the ENABLE Youth programme. The goal is to create 1,000 youth entrepreneurs in agribusiness in each of the 36 states, with an expected additional 185,000 jobs created.
To support the rehabilitation of the North Eastern parts of the country in support of President Buhari’s efforts for economic recovery in the zone, the Bank will also provide $250 million for the North East Integrated Infrastructure Development Programme. In the agricultural sector, the Bank will provide $200 million to the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme, which builds on the $150-million first phase, with the goal of supporting infrastructure and production and agro-industrial zones for processing and value addition to agricultural produce, for domestic and export markets. In addition, the Bank will provide $300 million for the Abuja Infrastructure Project for integrated infrastructure (water, sanitation, roads, and electricity) for four satellite towns in capital region.
The Bank’s portfolio in Nigeria is projected to increase from the current $4.6 billion to $10 billion by 2019. Of this, the private sector is expected to receive $6.9 billion, while the public sector will get $2.1 billion, excluding a budget support of $1 billion planned for 2016.
New study analyses four decades of satellite images – overturning assumptions about the role of industrial plantations in Borneo forest loss
Douglas Sheil of the Norwegian University of Life Science. Sheil and fellow scientists reviewed over 400 Landsat satellite images of Borneo between 1973 and 2015 to track forest loss and degradation and the concomitant expansion of plantations.
Debates over forest loss in Borneo generally focus on the extent to which industrial plantations are to blame: those on the conservation side charge oil palm and pulp and paper for the destruction of tropical rainforest, those on the plantation side tend to argue that planting is done on already deforested land.
Until now, both sides have lacked clear evidence to justify their claims.
“The story is complex; drivers of deforestation are many. Until now we lacked information to distinguish so-called good and bad plantations,” said Douglas Sheil of the Norwegian University of Life Science.
In a new study published in Scientific Reports that he co-authored, Sheil and fellow scientists reviewed over 400 Landsat satellite images of Borneo between 1973 and 2015 to track forest loss and degradation and the concomitant expansion of plantations. The impacts of drought and fires tied to El Nino events were also considered.
According to the study, 76 percent, or 55.8 million hectares, of Borneo was old-growth rainforest in 1973. The scientists determined that approximately 18.7 million hectares of forest was cleared between 1973 and 2015, and that industrial plantations expanded by 9.1 million hectares.
By 2015, 50 percent of the island shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei remained forested, with 28 percent old-growth rainforest and 12 percent covered in industrial plantations.
“We calculated the delays between deforestation and the establishment of industrial tree plantations. We reasoned that, as a statistical generalisation, industrial plantations developed rapidly after forest clearance are responsible for that clearance, while the longer the delay the more likely such plantings are avoiding direct deforestation,” said Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) scientist and lead author of the study David Gaveau.
Making comparisons
The study found contrasting patterns between Indonesia and Malaysia’s rate of conversion, that is the amount of time between deforestation and development. In Malaysia, rapid conversion to plantations has been greater, at 57-60 percent of all deforestation since 1973, while Indonesia’s was at 15-16 percent.
“Of the 15-16 percent of deforestation in Kalimantan associated with rapid conversion to industrial plantations, 11-13 percent is attributed to oil palm. What this shows is that the majority of oil palm plantations were developed on degraded lands, meaning forests converted to ferns, grasslands and scrubs by drought and recurrent burning, mainly during El Nino years,” Gaveau said in a presentation at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation.
That so many oil palm plantations in Kalimantan were developed on fire-induced deforested land offers much nuance in the debate over whether oil palm is the main driver of deforestation in the region.
“People have been arguing that plantations should be developed on degraded lands, and what we found – with caveats – is that in Kalimantan in Indonesia that is largely what has been happening,” Sheil said. In Malaysia, on the other hand, the study suggests that the plantation industry was the principle driver of the loss of forest because of the speedy rate of conversion.
Seen from that perspective, Indonesia seems to have done much better than has been widely assumed.
But, the scientists found something changed in 2005.
“Since 2005, Kalimantan experienced a boom in plantation development. Over half of the existing plantations were added since then, and there has been a steep increase in the rapid conversion of forests to plantations, Kalimantan becoming the principle contributor of rapid net forest conversion by area. Despite planting on degraded lands, deforestation remains very high in Indonesia and Malaysia, and does not appear to be slowing,” Gaveau said.
“More needs to be done to protect Borneo’s forests,” he added.
Hot topic
Underscoring the complexity of the deforestation process is essential, especially amid increasing calls for boycotts of palm oil products.
“Oil palm expansion has accelerated over time, and expands in different local contexts. As such, this expansion takes over different land uses ranging from forests, agroforestry systems and degraded lands. This study confirms these diverse land use dynamics linked to oil palm expansion,” said Pablo Pacheco, principal scientist at CIFOR and co-author of the study.
It is no longer possible to generalize about oil palm trajectories and likely outcomes.
“Oil palm is not always a bad thing,” Sheil said. “It generates a sizeable amount of revenue for people and is very efficient in generating incomes from limited land. I worry that we are stigmatising an entire crop – but it’s not the crop that is the problem but where we grow it.”
Study co-author Erik Meijaard of the Borneo Futures Project said facts such as those provided by the study are much needed in the debate over extractive industries.
“Oil palm is so polarised between camps that love it or hate it with a vengeance. There is much that has not been quantified with regard to oil palm development and causal relationships,” he said.
The study highlights the key role of repeated forest and land fires in Borneo deforestation, and an important question that emerges is whether there is evidence of large-scale natural forest regeneration in those lands.
Another important aspect of land use dynamics linked to oil palm is regeneration of degraded lands.
“So far, the limited studies out there point to weak regeneration of degraded lands. It might be preferable to designate degraded lands for agricultural purposes, except perhaps degraded peatlands, because they represent a major public health issue because of the toxic smoke they release when burning,” Gaveau said.
With the Indonesian government’s creation of the Peatland Restoration Agency in 2016, efforts to address the draining of peatlands and resulting fires are underway, as well as moves to find companies culpable for fires on their land.
Middle way
The maps of Borneo over the years that the study employs will soon be available online, and people will be able to track forest loss and conversion to plantations themselves. For Sheil, the transparency their work with maps encompasses is key to progress on the issue.
“There’s a lot of promise in these open systems, in an online system that shows concessions and land-use history,” he said. “The big surprise is that we found so much of the planting was on already deforested land. So we need to give companies credit for this without losing sight of how much forest has been lost.”
According to Pacheco, more studies are needed in the hopes of improving conservation practices and economic opportunities.
“Additional analysis is required to look beyond industrial oil palm plantations and capture the dynamics of oil palm expansion in smallholder lands, and how other actors, including local investors, are shaping land use dynamics linked to oil palm expansion”.
Meijaard said, “Our data clearly shows that oil palm and industrial plantations play a major role in deforestation, but that is not the whole story. We need to find a middle road to move ahead.”
The Latin American and Caribbean Carbon Forum (LACCF) will commence in Panama City, Panama on Wednesday, 28 September, bringing together key players from the private and public sectors to discuss ways to speed up the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through national climate action plans and market-based mechanisms, and to reach out to cooperation agencies, potential investors and service providers.
Vice President of the Republic of Panama, Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, will deliver the keynote opening remarks
The meeting follows last year’s historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change that embodies the commitment of countries around the world to move forward together to address climate change, and it is taking place only a few weeks ahead of the next major UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech in November.
Governments, businesses, civil society institutions and other stakeholders are focused on turning targets and plans into climate action, also with the help of key regional meetings.
The event in Panama will provide a platform for discussions and experience sharing on challenges and opportunities in the Latin American and Caribbean region in line with the Paris Agreement such as:
Implementing national climate action plans (“Nationally Determined Contributions”)
Leveraging public and private finance for climate action
Carbon pricing mechanisms and carbon markets
Sustainable development and transformational change
Public-private partnerships
Innovative business models to fight climate change
The Forum will also feature the latest advances and resources on: Sustainable cities, Agroindustry, Energy, Extractive industries, Forests and Transport.
The LACCF’s comprehensive and substantive programme consists of plenaries, parallel thematic discussions and training sessions. The LACCF exhibition space is ideal to identify business opportunities and connect with supporting organisations, cooperation agencies, potential investors and service providers.
For the first time this year, the LACCF and the annual workshop of the Low Emission Development Strategies-LAC platform will be held back-to-back, becoming the largest climate event of the region: the 2016 Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week.
The Vice President of the Republic of Panama, Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, will deliver the keynote opening remarks on behalf of the host country on 28 September.
The meeting in Panama is jointly organised by the Government of Panama, the World Bank Group, the Latin American Energy Organisation (OLADE), the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UNEP DTU Partnership, the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America.
Three new reports published on Monday by the Python Conservation Partnership (PCP), a partnership between Kering, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Boa and Python Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), reveal that the wild harvesting and farming of pythons is ecologically sustainable and results in socioeconomic benefits for poor households in South-East Asia.
A recently-fed python. The reports are first in the industry to provide science-based data and recommendations to improve sustainability of the python skin trade
The PCP has reportedly undertaken research projects since its creation in 2013 to measure the socio-economic benefits of the trade in python skins in South-East Asia, as well as the sustainability of wild harvesting and the economic viability of python farming. The PCP has also supported training for those engaged in the trade and has tested methods to verify the source of pythons and improve the traceability of skins. Following the partnership’s first report published in 2014, on the feasibility of farming pythons – “Assessment of Python Breeding Farms Supplying the International High-end Leather Industry” – the peer-reviewed reports published today reveal the importance of the trade for the livelihoods of people in Malaysia and Viet Nam and offer detailed recommendations to improve the monitoring and management of the trade overall. Key findings include:
Wild harvest of pythons is ecologically sustainable in Sumatra, Indonesia;
Management of the trade through size limits, ongoing monitoring of harvested snakes and capacity development of key actors will contribute to sustainable trade; and
In both wild harvest and captive farming in Malaysia and Viet Nam, the trade improves livelihood resilience by giving poor households the opportunity to increase and diversify income.
In addition to these reports, the PCP has developed technical documents to be published later this year on using novel techniques to verify the provenance of python skins. The PCP will also release guidance on best practices for animal welfare and management in python farms and processing facilities. These guidelines will initially be implemented and tested in Kering’s supply chain to help refine them. In 2017, the PCP will enter into a new phase, opening up the partnership to a broader group of stakeholders in the python trade, with the goal of implementing positive and durable change in the industry.
“The PCP is an excellent example of new and multi-disciplinary collaborative models driving real, positive change towards sustainability,” said Marie-Claire Daveu, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of International Institutional Affairs at Kering. “Information and transparency in the python trade was lacking and we all required more guidance to ensure a robust and sustainable trade. After 3 years of research we are very pleased to open-source the results of this important new research with ITC and IUCN. We are confident that this will improve the trade and Kering is proud to support the expert recommendations in our supply chains.”
“These studies demonstrate that trade in biodiversity is a credible strategy for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” said ITC Executive Director Arancha González. “ITC will continue to work with IUCN and the fashion industry to find innovative ways to promote the sustainable use of flora and fauna and to improve the livelihoods of the world’s poorest people.”
“It is extremely encouraging to see the extraordinary progress made by Kering, the International Trade Centre and IUCN – three organisations with different visions, working collaboratively to achieve a common goal,” said Tomás Waller, Chair of the IUCN/SSC Boa and Python Specialist Group. “The results of the Python Conservation Partnership’s research and successful collaboration show that it is indeed possible to enhance sustainable use of pythons while at the same time providing livelihood benefits for local communities participating in the trade.”
“We welcome this work showing the benefits of python skin trade to rural communities, as well as the depth of engagement with the private sector in making sure that the global value chain is put onto a better and more sustainable footing,” said John E. Scanlon, Secretary-General Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). “This work will benefit both the species and the rural communities. We hope more private sector entities join initiatives such as those being pioneered here by the PCP.”
Mali on Friday, 23 September 2016 deposited its instrument of ratification of the Paris Agreement with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita of Mali
This is coming as Ukraine and the Federated States of Micronesia last week deposited their instruments of ratification of the global pact with the UN body.
It brings the number of Parties that have ratified the Paris Agreement at 61 States, accounting in total for 47.79% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions.
There are presently 191 signatories to the Paris Agreement, with Nigeria endorsing the climate pact recently in New York.
At the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the UNFCCC held last year in Paris, France, the Parties adopted the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
The Agreement was opened for signature on 22 April 2016 at a high-level signature ceremony convened by the Secretary General in New York. At that ceremony, 174 States and the European Union signed the agreement and 15 States also deposited their instruments of ratification.
The Agreement shall enter into force on the 13th day after the date on which at least 55 Parties to the Convention accounting in total for at least an estimated 55% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the Depositary.
President Muhammadu Buhari promised in New York that Nigeria would deposited its instruments of ratification with the UN before the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP22) to the UNFCCC schedule to hold in Marrakech, Morocco in November.
Dr Adesina meets Economic Team, commends authorities for bold steps taken, and announces emergency grant for Internally Displaced People
From left: President, African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina; President Muhammadu Buhari; and Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun during the visit of the AfDB delegate to the Presidential Villa in Abuja Monday.
Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), started his first official visit in Nigeria on Monday with an interactive session with the Government’s economic team chaired by Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. The session focused on how the Bank can help the country overcome it current recession.
In his opening remarks, Prof. Osinbajo underscored the importance of the meeting, noting the AfDB remains an important partner in Nigeria’s development efforts. The forum, he added, provides a “credible platform to engage in policy dialogue on the Government’s programmes and critical areas where the AfDB can be of assistance.”
The visit takes places at a time when the Nigerian economy is facing headwinds. The economy is in recession. Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa, has seen its economy shrink by 2.6% in the second quarter of 2016 compared with the same period in 2015. As a consequence, the country’s credit ratings have been downgraded by all the three major international credit rating agencies.
Dr Adesina reassured the Nigerian authorities of the Bank’s support: “We are not fair weather friends,” he said. Nigeria is a key founding member of the AfDB. It is the Bank’s largest shareholder, financier of the Bank’s third resource window, the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF) and the Nigerian Technical Cooperation Fund (NTCF). The country is also among the largest beneficiaries of the Bank’s loans and grants, with its currently portfolio in the country cumulatively valued at $4.6 billion.
“We are very appreciative of the Bank’s support,” Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, said.
Dr Adesina also commended the authorities for the bold measures they have taken to deal with the economic situation.
The Bank will scale up its operations in the country. The Bank expects to grow its portfolio significantly over the next few years. Over the next two years, the Bank will roll out a number of innovative interventions including, a $300-million in the Enable Youth Programme; $200 million to the Agricultural Transformation Support Programme-Phase II, in additional to the $150 million allocated to the first phase.
The Bank is also processing a Budget Support Operation of $1 billion designed to help the Government in its efforts to cushion the adverse effects of the drastic decline in the price of oil and contribute to closing the budget gap.
Members of the Government’s economic team, including finance, budget and planning, agriculture, industry, trade and investments, women’s affairs, labour and employment ministers, among others, highlighted their policies and programmes as well as areas where the Bank can provide critical support.
Adesina also announced a $1-million emergency grant to assist Internally Displaced Peoples in North-Eastern Nigeria suffering from hunger, malnutrition and disease, highlighted in the presentation of the economic team.
Delegates to the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) that began on Saturday in Johannesburg, South Africa, will be asked to consider bringing more sharks and rays under CITES trade controls. This entails adding silky sharks, thresher sharks and devil rays to the 10 species already listed under Appendix II. The summit will come to a close on Wednesday, October 5.
Silky sharks, thresher sharks and devil rays may be added to the 10 species already listed under Appendix II
Proposals have been submitted across the board, focusing on a range of fauna and flora and various issues. Strengthened protection for sharks and rays will again be high on the agenda.
According to CITES, it is fitting that the triennial meeting of the World Wildlife Conference is being hosted in South Africa this year, as the country is home to a quarter of the world’s 400+ shark species.
Delegates from over 180 countries attending the meeting will receive updates on actions taken following COP16 in Bangkok, Thailand, where five shark species, namely the oceanic white tip, porbeagle and three species of hammerhead, and all manta rays were given protection under CITES Appendix II, with trade in these species now being regulated to prevent overexploitation.
CITES secretary-general John E Scanlon said: “At CITES COP16 in 2013, countries turned to CITES to assist in protecting precious marine resources from overexploitation through including five new shark species and all manta rays under CITES trade controls. Since then CITES, in close collaboration with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and other partners, has demonstrated the added value of CITES in protecting sharks and rays from overexploitation. This year, at CITES COP17, countries are again being presented with new sharks and rays listing proposals, which they will consider and decide upon as a sovereign body, informed by the best available science.”
Globally, sharks continued to be viewed by some as feared predators, yet the survival of many species of sharks was threatened by human activity, including from overfishing, over-consumption of their meat, fins and cartilage and the destruction of their habitats. Sharks played a critical role in maintaining the health and diversity of wider aquatic ecosystems and were particularly vulnerable to overexploitation owing to their late maturity, longevity and low rates of productivity, CITES said in a press statement.
Since 2013, the convention, with funding from the European Union, has partnered with international organisations, in particular the FAO and Regional Fisheries Management Organisations and Bodies (RFMOs and RFBs), to facilitate the implementation of the added protection measures, working particularly with developing countries. These new measures have presented challenges and opportunities for countries in ensuring the legality, sustainability and traceability of international trade in CITES-listed sharks that are exploited commercially and traded internationally.
There are currently 10 species of sharks and rays listed under CITES Appendix II, including the basking shark, great white shark and whale shark, as well as the five shark and two manta species added to CITES Appendix II at COP16.
Seven species of sawfishes fall under Appendix I, which includes species threatened with extinction. Commercial trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.
At CITES COP17, Parties will be asked to consider three more proposals to bring sharks and rays under CITES trade controls, namely to include:
Silky shark Carcharhinus falciformis in Appendix II
Thresher sharks Alopias spp. in Appendix II
Devil rays Mobula spp. in Appendix II
These three proposals have been assessed by the FAO Expert Panel Advisory Panel and by the CITES Secretariat. The 182 Parties will consider all of the information presented to it and decide on whether to accept or reject these proposals. If there is no consensus on any proposal, then the matter will go to a vote with a two-thirds majority vote required for any proposal to be accepted.
Kenyan-born Njeri Kabeberi has been named as Executive Director for Greenpeace Africa, which says that the choice was informed by the need for a combination of skills required to drive the organisation towards a people-powered movement.
Njeri Kabeberi
According to the Greenpeace Africa Board, Africans are hungry for a new story, one with a better take on nature, on humanity, their livelihoods, their future and their connection to the earth.
“It was critical to find someone who embodies passion, activism and understands the context of environmental justice in Africa and we are confident that Njeri represents that,” said chair of Greenpeace Africa Board, Brian Kagoro.
Greenpeace currently runs campaigns on four key issues on the continent, to protect the Congo Basin from large scale deforestation, stop overfishing in West Africa, promote ecological farming in the horn of Africa as well as demand a shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources in South Africa in order to reverse the impacts of climate change.
With a long history in human rights activism, Njeri will be leading Greenpeace Africa into a new wave of environmental justice for Africans by Africans.
“We will continue to work on our flagship campaigns but more so, we shall be working closely with communities to ensure that our campaigns speak to the local realities on the continent and can effect change in the day to day life of our people” said newly-appointed Greenpeace Africa head, Njeri Kabeberi.
“Africa has a major role to play in the global efforts to reverse climate change, protecting its vast natural forest and safeguarding its rich ocean resources is centre to the continent’s contribution in averting the catastrophic effects of climate change. It is important that the continent works together to push for an end to illegal logging, unsustainable fishing and a shift from industrial agriculture to ecological farming to ensure that our biodiversity is protected” added Njeri.
Njeri joins Greenpeace after serving as CEO of the Civil Society Reference Group and as the immediate former Executive Director of the Centre for Multiparty Democracy. She is also a member of the board of advisors of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and chairs the board of the International Centre for Policy and Conflict.
Njeri is passionate about social justice and women’s rights and, in 2010, amongst others, received the ILO Wedge Award. She also has extensive INGO leadership and management experience and was on the Board of the Kenya Human Rights Commission for many years.
Africa’s overall elephant population has seen the worst declines in 25 years, mainly due to poaching over the past 10 years – according to IUCN’s African Elephant Status Report launched on Sunday at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES, taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa.
An elephant lost to poaching. Photo credit: kiregodal.com
The report is said to be an authoritative source of knowledge about the numbers and distribution of African elephant populations across their 37 range states in sub-Saharan Africa.
It presents more than 275 new or updated estimates for individual elephant populations across Africa, with over 180 of these arising from systematic surveys. The report summarises – for the first time in almost a decade – elephant numbers at the continental, regional and national levels, and examines changes in population estimates at the site level.
Based on population estimates from a wide range of sources – including aerial surveys and elephant dung counts – the estimates for 2015 are 93,000 lower than in 2006. However, this figure includes 18,000 from previously uncounted populations. Therefore, the real decline from estimates is considered to be closer to 111,000. The continental total is now thought to be about 415,000 elephants, although there may be an additional 117,000 to 135,000 elephants in areas not systematically surveyed.
The surge in poaching for ivory that began approximately a decade ago – the worst that Africa has experienced since the 1970s and 1980s – has been the main driver of the decline, while habitat loss poses an increasingly serious, long-term threat to the species, according to the report.
“These new numbers reveal the truly alarming plight of the majestic elephant – one of the world’s most intelligent animals and the largest terrestrial mammal alive today,” says IUCN Director General Inger Andersen. “It is shocking but not surprising that poaching has taken such a dramatic toll on this iconic species. This report provides further scientific evidence of the need to scale up efforts to combat poaching. Nevertheless, these efforts must not detract from addressing other major and increasingly devastating threats such as habitat loss.”
With over 70% of the estimated African elephants, Southern Africa has by far the largest number of the species – approximately 293,000 elephants in systematically surveyed areas. Eastern Africa holds about 86,000 (20%) estimated elephants, while Central Africa has about 24,000 estimated elephants (6%). West Africa continues to hold the smallest regional population with approximately 11,000 (under 3%).
Eastern Africa – the region most affected by poaching – has experienced an almost 50% elephant population reduction, largely attributed to an over 60% decline in Tanzania’s elephant population. Although some sites have recorded declines, elephant numbers have been stable or increasing since 2006 in Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda, and range expansion has been reported in Kenya.
Central Africa’s forest elephant population has been substantially affected by poaching for ivory, since the 1990s. The Democratic Republic of Congo used to hold one of the most significant forest elephant populations in Africa, which has now been reduced to tiny remnants of its former size. Gabon and Congo now hold Africa’s most important forest elephant populations but both have been affected by heavy poaching in recent years, as have the forest and savannah populations of Cameroon. The savanna populations of Chad have taken heavy losses and those in the Central African Republic have almost completely disappeared.
West Africa’s elephant populations are mostly small, fragmented and isolated with 12 populations reported as lost since 2006 in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Togo, Guinea and Nigeria. The elephant population in the trans-frontier “WAP” complex that straddles the border between Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger remains the strong-hold of West Africa’s elephant population.
While poaching has not had the same impact in Southern Africa as in other areas, the region is now also facing the emergence of a growing poaching threat. Population declines have been observed in Mozambique and some areas in Zimbabwe, while major populations in Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are stable or increasing, and there is evidence of elephant range expansion in Botswana. There is still uncertainty about the size of the elephant population in the KAZA trans-frontier conservation area – the single largest population on the continent – and it remains critical to undertake a coordinated survey of this population.
“This is the first time since 2006 that we have produced an African elephant status report with a continent-wide update and analysis of elephant numbers and distribution,” says Holly Dublin, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s African Elephant Specialist Group (AfESG) who led the preparation of the report. “This report highlights how important it is to regularly monitor, assess and analyse the status of the African elephant. Understanding population numbers and their distribution is crucial in order to recognise threats faced by the species, target conservation actions and assess their effectiveness. This has been possible thanks to the IUCN African Elephant Specialist Group’s incredible network of experts and partners.”
Estimates for savanna populations across the continent have improved in both reliability and coverage and many forest populations in Central Africa have been surveyed for the first time.
“This report not only provides information on the changes in elephant numbers but, because it is spatial, it also shows where these changes are occurring,” says first author of the report Chris Thouless, Chair of the AfESG’s Data Review Working Group. “It tracks many elephant populations over time at the site level, allowing us to learn more about why elephant populations are lost or persist in certain areas. This detailed information is essential for understanding what is driving changes in elephant populations.”
The report has been produced by the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s African Elephant Specialist Group, in partnership with Vulcan Inc, a Paul G. Allen company, and Kenya-based charity Save the Elephants. It draws on data from the African Elephant Database of the IUCN African Elephant Specialist Group, which is the most comprehensive spatial database on the status of any wide-ranging mammal species in the wild.
Irikefe Dafe, head of both the River Ethiope Trust Foundation (RETFON) as well as Foundation for the Conservation of Nigerian Rivers (FCNR), laments the state of the nations’ waterways, even as he calls on the authorities to declare a state of emergency to tackle the situation
The River Ethiope in Delta State. Nigeria is said to be one of the countries in the world with the worst rivers degradation conditions
The World Rivers Day takes place on September 25, 2016. It is a global celebration of the world’s waterways, observed every last Sunday in September. Established in 2005, it highlights the many values of rivers and strives to increase public awareness while encouraging the improved stewardship of rivers around the world. Rivers in every country face an array of threats, and World Rivers Day promotes the active involvement of citizens to ensure the health of rivers in the years ahead.
Nigeria is one of the countries in the world with the worst rivers degradation conditions and no adequate deliberate efforts to reverse the trend. Everyday, the country loses this precious resource to pollution due to reckless industrial development, urban development and climate change, among others.
Today, no river in Nigeria meets the water qualities standard stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) either for swimming, fishing and drinking purpose. In every community today in Nigeria, the rivers that used to be a source of drinking water, swimming and other aquatic activities have seized to play these vital roles to mankind.
We want all Nigerians to be aware that we will not progress as a nation as long as we continue to treat our rivers the way we are doing today. You will agree with me that the state of any river one sees in any community is a practical reflection of the mindset of the people and activities they carry out on a daily basis within a river catchment and watershed.
I tend to ask people to show me their community river and I will tell them the sort of people that they are. Today in Nigeria, it is only River Ethiope in Delta State that has a Foundation established to promote its wise use and conservation as compared to USA that has all her water bodies under protection.
Nigeria’s current effort towards economic progress, aspiration and gains may be frustrated in the near future if a state of emergency is not declared on Nigeria rivers now.
Lately, the Foundation for the Conservation of Nigerian Rivers (FCNR) has been leading in creating awareness about conservation of the nation’s rivers. It is currently working on deepening its educational endeavors with partnerships aimed at creating platforms that will facilitate the development of human capacities that are capable of designing and implementing integrated approaches to challenges associated with Nigerian societies and their environmental impacts on whole-of-water cycle, on a sustainable basis.
This has resulted in the establishment of the Integrated Centre for Biodiversity, Watershed and Climate Change in the Niger Delta University in Bayelsa State. Several similar schemes are in different stages of implementation, and it is hoped that Nigeria will soon be a credible partner in the world’s efforts at preserving rivers.
