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Sino–African Group Urges for Wildlife Conservation Action

(People's Daily Online)  Sissy Zhang  2016-02-10 05:15


Chinese Actor Wang Baoqiang(L) and Tanzanian Singer-songwriter Alikiba participate in the Wildlife Conservation Action. (Sun Yat-Sen Cultural Foundation)


On the eve of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China– Africa Cooperation, a group of respected Chinese and African civil society leaders and celebrities were shining a spotlight on the role of wildlife conservation in sustainable economic development.
 
For many of the participants from China, including box office dynamite Wang Baoqiang, the trip to Kruger was their first time visiting a national park in Africa. “I have always loved being out in nature, and I enjoyed seeing Africa’s elephants, rhinos and other wildlife for the first time,” said Wang. “The summit in South Africa highlights the strong relationship between China and Africa, and I am happy to be a participant inthe discussions around how all Chinese and Africans can work together to ensure sustainable development in Africa.”

Following two years of work, the group, which is called the China-Africa Wildlife Conservation Council, met last week for a three-day field visit and roundtable in Kruger National Park, facilitated by the African Wildlife Foundation and the U.S based Aspen Institute.

As a cultural and economic exchange, the Council was to deepen cooperation and support the governments of China and the African states in the joint efforts to protect African wildlife and expand wild lands conservation as the foundation of a sustainable human economy in Africa.

Following the roundtable, the Council has released a statement supporting the governments of China and the African states in their active commitment to conserve Africa’s wildlife, recommending that China strengthen its ongoing collaboration with African countries to conserve natural wild land habitats by expanding the continent’s protected area system.

“In the lead up to this year’s FOCAC, we have held a number of meetings in Beijing, Nairobi and Kigali, where we have discussed extensively the illegal wildlife trade that is fueling the poaching in Africa,” said Dr. Patrick Bergin, African Wildlife Foundation CEO. “This trip gave dialogue participants a chance to see and hear firsthand about the devastation that poaching has wrought on Kruger’s rhino population.” As of August this year, South Africa had lost 749 rhinos, the majority from Kruger.

As one of the delegates, singer and songwriter Alikiba, who is a wildlife ambassador in Tanzania, noted that celebrities as well as government leaders and conservationists have a role to play in protecting wildlife. “My country has lost many of its elephants in the last few years due to poaching, and we must all find ways to work together to stop the killing and safeguard our wild lands,” said Alikiba. “As a musician and artist, I am using my platform to bring attention to this crisis and inspire people to get involved.”


Key outputs from the initiative to date have included:
  •  A formal recommendation—supported by former Presidents Festus Mogae of Botswana and Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania—promoting the protection of Africa’s wildlife and wild lands as a priority in the continent’s development agenda was integrated into the African Union’s final Vision 2063 document.
  • A formal proposal to include topics of wildlife and wild lands protection within the 6th Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was submitted to the African Ambassadors Group in Beijing, along with supporting technical information to serve as a resource for submitting these issues into the formal FOCAC process.
  • A proposal to include wildlife on the diplomatic agenda of FOCAC was also submitted directly to South Africa’s Departments of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. In response, the Department of Environmental Affairs requested the submission of formal commitments for inclusion in the FOCAC action plan.

During FOCAC:
  • China noted that it would strengthen its ongoing collaboration with African countries to protect African wildlife.
  • China pointed out that it highly valued wildlife protection and would continuously participate in relevant international dialogues and projects.
 
(The story was originally published on Business Day on December, 17th, 2015.)