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Saving Elephants beyond Borders in West Africa

Understanding the ChallengeThe African Elephant was once a common species in West Africa – roaming in the dense tyropical forests, open savannas and even deserts of the region. Today the elephant range is highly fragmented with many small and highly endangered isolated populati on remaining. Out of the former high number of elephant only less than 7500 may have survived to date. Main driver of this fatal development is habit loss due to the growing human populati on, human elephant confl icts as well as poaching and illegal trade in ivory. The conservati on status of elephants in West Africa is very poor compared with East and Southern Africa.

The elephants of West Africa are disti nct from the savanna and forest elephants of other African regions. Further geneti cal research is needed to clarify about their species status. It is however beyond controversy that the remaining West African elephant populati ons are of high conservati on value and acti ons are urgently needed.

Moving from Decision to Acti on The African elephant is a highly migrant species that requires collaborati ve eff orts for securing their long term survival. Thus the African Elephant was listed on Appendix II of the Conventi on. The urgent conservati on need in the West African subregion was reasoning for the development of a “Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Conservati on Measures for the West African Populati ons of the African Elephant” (MoU).

This West African Elephant MoU provides an internati onal framework for Range State governments, scienti sts and conservati on groups to collaborate in the conservati on of elephant populati ons and their habitats. The MoU was launched under the auspices of CMS in 2005. A couple of nati onal and transboundary projects for conservati on of elephants in the region have been developed and implemented. A few Nati onal Acti on Plans have been developed as a tool for strategic implementati on at country level.

Championing the Soluti on!Since many of the elephant populati ons in West Africa cross nati onal borders, the work under the MoU takes a regional perspecti ve with an emphasis on cooperati on between range states and the transboundary management of elephants. Organizati on of the meeti ngs of the governing bodies, development and implementati on of conservati on projects and informati on exchange of key stakeholders are he basis for coordinati ng conservati on eff orst. Sustainable funding is essenti al to provide adequate assistance to governments and organizati ons to control the ivory trade and the implementati on of CITES, reduce the rate of habitat loss, curtail the illegal killing of elephants, work on collecti ng bett er informati on to improve understanding of elephant conservati on, improve cooperati on and strengthen awareness raising.

More informati on can be found at: www.cms.int/west-african-elephants/

UNEP/CMS Secretariat / Platz der Vereinten Nati onen 1 / 53113 Bonn, Germany / Tel. (+49 228) 815 2401 / Email: cms.secretariat@cms.int / www.cms.int

The Conventi on on the Conservati on of Migratory Species and its associated agreements, altogether known as CMS Family, are concerned with the protecti on of migratory wildlife on a global or regional scale. Such work is largely subject to the voluntary fi nancial income that the Secretariats can generate, which is by its nature neither regular nor predictable.

The Migratory Species Champion Programme aims to promote initi ati ves developed under the CMS Family and encourage their sustainable support. The Programme has been designed to raise commitments to provide medium- and long-term resources for conservati on acti ons so as to guarantee their ti mely planning and implementati on.

Who can be a Champion?Champions can be Governments, companies, organizati ons and individuals willing to make a fi nancial commitment of at least three years for one or more specifi c CMS Family initi ati ves. Contributi ons could be made annually or as one-off payments. In-kind donati ons also qualify provided that they comply with requirements of this programme.

Becoming a Champion is more than being a donor. It is rather being an advocate for migratory species delivering support for their conservati on beyond funding. Champions become part of the soluti on to big problems that concern them.

What can a Champion support?The programme off ers a portf olio of initi ati ves. Each initi ati ve comprises a set of acti viti es contributi ng to the implementati on of a large programme targeti ng a species, a group of species or a cross-cutti ng issue.

Why becoming a Champion?The Programme and its results are promoted on the dedicated page: www.migratoryspecies.org/champion

Furthermore, Champions are acknowledged with certi fi cates that testi fy their support to one or more initi ati ves.

Diff erent categories of Champions are defi ned to recognize diff erent levels of contributi ons. The scheme of categories is as follows:

Champion for annual contributi ons from €20,000 up to €50,000 over at least a three-year period;Champion Plus for annual contributi ons of more than €50,000 over at least a three-year period;Champion Extraordinaire for conti nuous support.

Engaging and awarding Champions are rolling processes undertaken by each Secretariat.

Ad hoc donors’ events are organized in the margins of the CMS Family decision-making bodies to acknowledge existi ng Champions. The certi fi cate and the associated publicity provide Champions with the opportunity to promote both nati onally and internati onally their commitment and support for the conservati on of migratory species.

MIGRATORY SPECIES CHAMPION PROGRAMME

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