Handsoffwildlife

Chinese enterprises operating in Africa join hands to protect African wildlife

The exquisite ivory artifacts in elegantly decorated shop windows are seductive to the eye, luring art and craft enthusiasts like bees to honey. The avid buyers who marvel at the milk-colored exotic statuettes, bracelets and necklaces from a faraway land have little idea of their origin. In their ignorance they are oblivious to the ugly truth of the slaughter, poaching and trafficking of the planet’s endangered wildlife - all part of the process to bring these beautiful objects to market.

These are some of the issues raised by Protecting Our Home, a documentary film presented on March 21 during a conference held in Beijing on the challenges faced by Chinese companies in protecting African wildlife. The conference was jointly organized by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), China Wildlife Conservation Association and the consulting firm Syntao.

Filmed in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park with the aim of raising awareness of the devastating effects of wildlife poaching, the documentary had a significant impact at the time of its release in 2014, with a number of Chinese stars calling for a ban on the ivory trade in China. The documentary was made possible by the Travel Channel of Hainan Broadcasting Group, WCS, Tanzania National Park, and Poly International, a Chinese foreign trade and investment enterprise.

“For a long time now, Poly International has actively funded international organizations, government agencies and social organizations, among others, involved in wildlife protection. This year, we plan to conduct researches on elephant protection in Uganda,” Ye Wenhua, International Program Director at Poly International, told the conference.

In addition to Poly International, an increasing number of Chinese companies active on the continent are now paying attention to wildlife protection. “In discovering the purchase of ivory, Chinese enterprises have to play their part,” said Ye.

Knowing the animals and their habits is also a way of protecting the workers. Specific guidelines were drafted in this regard. For example, as CNPC’S red workwear could potentially disrupt animals, the company opted instead for a less garish uniform. On the construction site, workers were also equipped with fire extinguishers, enabling them to react quickly in case of fire.

In addition, simple and effective operating procedures were adopted and implemented. For example, workers had to reduce the noise of their machinery by slowing down their operation so as not to affect the wildlife; meanwhile, they had to make sure to leave no rubbish behind once their work was done.

“In recent years, we have started to implement similar measures in other African countries, and even in Latin American countries and China, to protect the animals and the environment,” said Shi Jing, researcher at the CNPC Research Institute of Economics and Technology.