African countries are making significant strides in wildlife conservation, and the United States is committed to supporting them. U.S. agencies fund African programs that protect sea turtle habitats, combat wildlife trafficking, and promote community involvement in conservation.
The population of rhinoceroses in Kenya has grown by 11%. Protected areas for critically endangered gorillas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have increased by more than 60%. And in 2020, loggerhead turtle nests in Cape Verde surged to nearly 200,000, up from 10,725 in 2015.
“This is a critically important moment for our planet,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken on November 17, announcing a U.S. partnership that will help inspire more conservation efforts in Africa. “Our goal is to equip a new generation of leaders to lead this fight, because we have seen what they can achieve.”
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) invested nearly $117 million in biodiversity programs in Africa from mid-2018 to mid-2019. It spent nearly $40 million to combat wildlife trafficking during the same period.Protecting Endangered Species
In Cape Verde, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partners with the Biodiversity Project Association to strengthen protections for endangered loggerhead sea turtles by funding nighttime patrols on nesting beaches, relocating vulnerable nests, and other efforts.
With U.S. support, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has significantly reduced wildlife trafficking. The country’s rhinoceros population increased by 11%, from 1,441 in 2019 to 1,605 in 2020. No rhinoceros was lost to poaching that year.
Kenyan authorities credit a forensic and genetics lab that USAID helped establish in 2015 for aiding this success. “Every two days, our work is used in a court case somewhere in Kenya,” said Dr. Francis Gakuya, head of veterinary services at KWS, about the lab that helps track endangered species and capture poachers.
Other U.S.-supported programs encourage Kenyan communities to lead conservation efforts and reap the benefits of tourism. One such program, the Northern Rangelands Trust, has recorded increases in elephant, giraffe, cheetah, and buffalo populations across 4.9 million hectares, an area approximately twice the size of New Jersey.Supporting Law Enforcement
U.S. partnerships with the DRC and neighboring Republic of the Congo have protected 32 million hectares in the Congo Basin for over 20 years.
The U.S. government trains park rangers, strengthens wildlife monitoring, and anti-trafficking efforts, protecting habitats for numerous species, including the world’s largest remaining population of critically endangered Grauer’s gorilla.
In November, U.S. and DRC authorities arrested two poachers and seized over $3.5 million in ivory, rhino horn, and pangolin scales following a two-year investigation.
“This successful operation exemplifies the U.S. government’s concrete commitment to working with Congolese law enforcement to combat the illegal wildlife trafficking that robs the DRC of its natural treasures,” said U.S. Ambassador to the DRC Mike Hammer.Source: share.america.gov, By Leigh Hartman