What do you know about Tanzania?

...And the elephants who roam there? Why do we focus our efforts on this diverse East African nation? 

What do you picture when thinking about Tanzania? Is it the spectacular backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro along with the vast plains of the Serengeti? Or perhaps a magnificent herd of elephants casting silhouettes by a lake bathed in a blistering sunset. It only takes one moment in time to hold the beauty of Tanzania in your memory forever. It encompasses iconic animals and dramatic landscapes; from dry deserts, thick rainforest and a coastline spanning nearly 900 miles.

 

The country is one of the largest on the east side of the continent - you could fit the United Kingdom into Tanzania three times and it's home to almost fifty million people. No wonder it's the number one destination for exploring wildlife like no other. 

Why is Tanzania and its elephants at the core of our work at Wild Survivors?

Fifty years ago Tanzania boasted the largest population of elephants in Africa - over 310,000 roamed here. Today, only 43,140 survive. And that figure decreases every single day. A lucrative ivory trade is at the heart of this destruction. Ninety per cent of illegally traded elephant tusks that leave Tanzania land in China. 

Tanzania is in a strategic position for wildlife traffickers. Facing the Indian Ocean is the huge port in Dar es Salaam (the economic capital on the coastline). Here, traders and traffickers meet to smuggle the tusks from elephants who have suffered fatally at the hands of poachers - the very people employed by vast criminal networks. Due to poor enforcement over the years - further weakened by corruption, the ivory 'kingpins' and their gangs have been able to mastermind the illegal export of thousands of raw tusks. The tusks are hidden in shipping containers, carrying anything from rococo beans to scrap plastic.

 

Dar es Salaam is also a gateway port for ivory smugglers transporting tusks from neighbouring countries such as Kenya. Corruption has existed at all levels; from airport officials, seaport operatives, and the police, army and government members. This has made it extremely difficult to combat the illegal trade and help support Tanzanians in saving their national heritage. 

Many efforts to protect elephants are focused in countries such as Kenya and Botswana. Wild Survivors is determined to protect this threatened species in Tanzania; working with rural communities to develop new strategies in combatting wildlife crime.

What's more, Tanzania elected a new President last November - Dr John Magufuli. We've seen positive action since this new appointment. Many corrupt ministers from the previous government have been removed, offering new hope to Tanzanians. 

But, there's a long road ahead. While the demand for ivory exists, the killing of endangered elephants will continue. A commitment on an international scale is critical. Last Tuesday, we listened closely to a speech made by The Duke of Cambridge during the Diplomatic Academy Awards hosted by the Foreign Office in London. 

Prince William addressed diplomats and urged that a crackdown on the illegal wildlife trade "cannot be solved without nations working together in new ways".The Duke continues to campaign for international co-operation to combat the widespread trafficking of ivory and rhino horn, through his organisation ‘United for Wildlife’.

A few thoughts from Bishop Nick Baines, with Radio 4's Today Programme...

There is a strong Anglican community in Tanzania. The constitution allows for freedom of religion and as such, one third of Tanzanians' are Christian.

A regular guest on ‘Thought for the Day’, aired on BBC Radio 4's Today programme is Anglican Bishop Nick Baines. We were recently in contact with Bishop Nick as he commenced his ten-day visit to Tanzania, to meet with colleagues and fellow Christians in the Anglican churches. 

Following his trip, Bishop Nick highlights the importance of embracing different cultures: "you can't understand your own culture unless you look through the lens of another culture – and to do that you have to know something of (or, better, 'inhabit') the language. After all, language goes deep and some things can't be translated; they have to be intuited."

Ultimately, to combat the war on the destructive ivory trade, nations must speak a common language and agree to combine efforts towards one common goal: to save elephants from extinction; to prevent the trafficking of ivory and to stop the demand, once and for all. From source to buyer, all countries hold a responsibility to work together, effectively and efficiently. Those who hold large stockpiles of ivory – China and Japan, for example, must take the bold step of destroying their hoards of confiscated tusks. This would be a major influence in crushing the trade in those countries where demand is at its highest.

Advanced strategies are the key to protecting elephants in the wild. Safer methods of tracking elephants, and indeed poachers, are essential to the safety of rangers on the frontline, in trying to save our largest land mammal. At Wild Survivors we are investigating the means to combine both; involving new drone technology for monitoring, and implementing advanced deterrent methods. Complacency is not an option. A change in approach and technique is needed, and needed fast. The #timeisnow.  

 

To learn more, visit: www.wildsurvivors.org

 

- Francesca, Founder. 

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