The African Union Commission (AUC) and TRAFFIC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to protect Africa’s wildlife from unstainable and illegal harvest and trade
The contribution legal trade and use can provide towards livelihoods and development of Africa’s people.
TRAFFIC will also collaborate with and support the AUC in the effective implementation of the Green Recovery Action Plan. Under this agreement, the parties will collaborate to support the African Union Member States’ policies for environment, wildlife management and trade, and conservation and recognise that wild flora and fauna loss affect African people’s livelihoods, especially during post-pandemic recovery. It acts as a framework to combat the illegal exploitation and trade in Africa's wildlife with a joint goal of protecting flora, and fauna on land, wetlands, and marine ecosystems.
On the occasion of signing, the MoU, HE Josefa Sacko, AUC commissioner for agriculture, rural development, blue economy and sustainable environment (ARBE), stated, “For the African Union, this is an important MoU for the safeguarding of Africa’s wild biodiversity. We are looking forward to deepening our already great collaboration with TRAFFIC and are welcoming TRAFFIC’s technical support and policy which stems from its evidence-based experience, on how to keep the use and trade of wild harvested flora and fauna at legal and sustainable and levels, and on how to best combat any illegal trade and overexploitation threatening our biodiversity.”
Existing TRAFFIC projects like Reducing Illegal Timber Exports already work with communities living adjacent to forests with the legal knowledge and tools to reap the rewards of legal, sustainable forest management.
