Is CITES protecting wildlife?

Book by Routledge

IWMC is pleased to be allowed to publish Dr. Nikolas Sellheim’s review of an exciting new book by Dr. Tanya Wyatt that lifts the lid on how CITES really works. The conclusions of the book and the reviewer (which differ) are controversial, but the research is solid and their competing views on its meaning cannot… Continue reading Is CITES protecting wildlife?

Environmental Journalist Applauds U.S. Government For Allowing Long-awaited Import of Elephant Hunting Trophies From Zimbabwe

The five-year ban on the import of African elephant hunting trophies into the U.S. has not saved a single elephant. Instead, it created dangerous feelings among affected African hunting communities…

DEFRA, the British Parliament & the Banning of Hunting Trophies to the UK Campaign

An Explanatory Report for Ellie Goodchild Dear Ms. Goodchild, I must thank you for your openness and honest desire to properly resolve this important issue. In order to give you some professional insight into this matter, from the point of view of managing wildlife in Africa, I would like to explain a few facts to… Continue reading DEFRA, the British Parliament & the Banning of Hunting Trophies to the UK Campaign

Namibia Professional Hunting Association’s annual address by Danene van der Westhuyzen

Many people would ask me why I hunt, or how I came to be a hunter. And usually I would tell of how I was brought up in Namibia, where hunting is second nature and part of our existence and our way of life. But to be honest, the answer is actually very simple. My… Continue reading Namibia Professional Hunting Association’s annual address by Danene van der Westhuyzen

What we learned from COP26

COP26 was the most hyped and hypocritical gathering ever of the political, business and NGO elites. Even Greta Thunberg’s fearmongering was eclipsed. UK prime minister Boris Johnson said it was ‘a one minute to midnight moment’ before a ‘detonation ended human life as we know it’. The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury said world leaders would be… Continue reading What we learned from COP26

IWMC World Conservation Trust Opening Statement

VSM/2109/OS/NGO/03 IWMC World Conservation Trust Opening Statement IWMC World Conservation Trust wishes to express its gratitude to the Chair of the Commission and its appreciation to the Secretary and her Staff for the effectiveness in arranging this Special Meeting under difficult circumstances. For centuries whaling has been an integral part of cultures all around the… Continue reading IWMC World Conservation Trust Opening Statement

Shoot to Kill: VICE Investigates the Kenya Wildlife Service

How do you read the allegations in the video?

The Dawn of the New Whaling

A minke whale caught in Japanese coastal waters as part of Japan’s research program is hauled ashore at Kushiro port in Hokkaido. KYODO/NEWSCOM

Towards the Sustainable Use of Aquatic Living Resources Prologue On 1 July 2019, five small-type whaling vessels left the port of Kushiro and one factory-ship whaling fleet left the port of Shimonoseki. It was the resumption of commercial whaling after the suspension for practically 32 years. In the case of the small-type whaling operating mostly… Continue reading The Dawn of the New Whaling

PRECIOUS CORAL SUSTAINABILITY

Report on the Transplantation Project of Precious Corals in Japan SUMMARY In response to growing evidence of the effects of climate change and to address the increasing demand for better management of the harvesting and conservation of precious corals around the world, this report takes a look at efforts being made in respect of precious… Continue reading PRECIOUS CORAL SUSTAINABILITY

Franz Weber Foundation

From 1990 until 2015, Franz Weber Foundation (FFW) managed the Fazao-Malfakassa National Park in Togo, which was, according to an in-depth investigation by Duke University, ‘established by forcing the local communities off their land and without taking into consideration their point of view’. That same study cited convincing evidence from reports published in 1990, confirming that competition for land use was already ‘creating conflict between the local communities and park managers’. In 2015 Togo refused to renew FFW’s contract because, the report says, ‘local communities were still excluded from the management of the natural resources of their land’ and FFW had ‘failed to fulfil its contract’. Franz Weber Foundation plays a major role within CITES because it funds and manages from Switzerland the African Elephant Coalition (AEC), which represents 32 African range states, some of which have barely any elephants and others none at all. Contrary to the wishes of the range states in Southern Africa, which manage most of the world’s wild elephant populations, the AEC at CITES’ CoPs repeatedly tables proposals to put all of the world’s elephants in appendix I. And the AEC uses its voting power to keep in place prohibitions on ivory sales and all other trade in elephant-related derivatives, including skins and hair, which Southern African nations wish to legalise.