From jungles and forests to deserts and grasslands, Africa contains a diverse range of ecosystems. It is the second biggest continent after Asia, containing deadly and attractive diurnal and nocturnal creatures of varied sizes. Among them are mammals, reptiles, birds, and insects. Many of them being unique to Africa. It is a popular destination for both wildlife researchers and safari fans due to its richness. It is home to about 1,100 animal species, as well as 60 carnivores, 100,000 insect species, 3,000 freshwater fish species, and over 2,600 bird species. Its insect populations account for 15-20% of all insects on the planet.
Africa’s wildlife flooded the plains in droves some 100 years ago. Hundreds of thousands of rhinoceros, lions, and elephants wandered nearly every part of the continent except the deserts, which were uninhabitable.
Only a small percentage of them are still around today. Their area has been limited to a few safe havens, and they are always under danger. Many species might become extinct in a matter of decades.
Africa is a vast continent that is evolving and expanding at a tremendous pace. Unfortunately, humans are endangering Africa’s natural environments and biodiversity, many of whom are unaware of the implications. FSF-IHCE Africa can assist Africans in developing a contemporary Africa while simultaneously protecting its natural assets via strategic planning and vigorous community engagement.
Poaching kills more elephants and rhinos than natural causes or human conflict. Their body parts are unlawfully traded on the black market as trophies, traditional medicine, or ornaments, but these famous pachyderms are not the only animal species butchered for human profit.
Big cats, such as the lion and cheetah, are hunted for their bones; the African wild dog and other large carnivores are killed by villagers protecting their livestock; great apes, such as chimps, are hunted as bushmeat and their babies traded as pets in Central and West Africa; and pangolins are captured for their scales and meat.
The rapid extinction of Africa’s keystone species has impacted negatively not just on country economies that rely on wildlife tourism, but also on ecosystems that offer nourishment to other species and vital functions to rising human populations. Securing Africa’s wild lands provides species a fighting chance to survive as their habitats grow increasingly fragmented.
Illicit wildlife products such as ivory and rhino horn are being traded internationally, turning Africa’s iconic creatures into commodities. With the current economic development in demand centers, the high-tech, multibillion-dollar poaching business continues to advance. New financial, intelligence-sharing, and transportation avenues arise as retail marketplaces for illegal animal products grow. Multiple players linked across sectors make it possible for one elephant tusk to go from Africa’s wild lands to the black market and into the hands of a customer. On the ground, local middlemen provide supplies, intelligence, guns, and logistical support to poaching gangs. This involves coordinating clandestine wildlife contraband escape routes, which are frequently concealed within a hidden compartment of huge trucks bound for major cities.
When these illegal animal products arrive at the departure point, exporters have oiled the wheels to ensure that they arrive at their destination undetected. The syndicates benefit from the death of numerous animals, with experienced poaching kingpins managing operations from behind the scenes – an international crime that necessitates high-level planning, intelligence, and increased levels of financing.
Wildlife trafficking contributes significantly to the problem by poaching, harvesting, or depleting significant quantities of already endangered or at-risk species. Although threats to wildlife and plant species come from a variety of sources, including pollution, deforestation, destruction of natural habitats, and climate change, wildlife trafficking plays a significant role. Wildlife trafficking, animal parts trafficking, and plant trafficking have far-reaching consequences, not just for the species involved, but also for human livelihoods, biodiversity, and governance.
Wildlife trafficking has the potential to deplete species populations and potentially lead to extinction on a local or global scale. When endangered species are involved, any poaching or harvesting for the illegal trade puts the species at risk of extinction. The fact that the demand for larger and more ornamental specimens means that hunters and collectors frequently target the fittest individuals from the breeding population worsens the situation, with severe consequences for future generations.
Our mission is to secure a future for wild animals and to sustain the beauty and ecological integrity of the places they live; to promote man’s delight in their intelligence and the diversity of their world, and to develop a tolerant relationship between the two species.
FSF-IHCE intends to promote this through its main goal of training and educating rangers and community members.
Because of the wide-ranging and significant consequences of wildlife trafficking, the protection of wildlife, forests, and fish “must be part of a comprehensive approach to achieving poverty eradication, food security, sustainable development, including the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, economic growth, social well-being, and sustainable livelihoods,” (UN General Assembly, 19 August 2015).