You leave us with nothing
China and Vietnam should help fund the restoration of Africa’s areas, species they have plundered, writes James Clarke
IN SUB-SAHARAN Africa, the years 2015 to 2016 were, in terms of conservation history, the worst of years and the best of years.
They will go down as the costliest in terms of the wanton slaughter of Africa’s megafauna. They may also go down as the turn of the tide.
Africa had been suffering an invasion, led mainly by the Chinese whose government turned a blind eye to its criminal syndicates as they established supply chains to smuggle wild animal parts from Africa.
The Chinese were joined by wild animal traffickers from Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Laos, Thailand and Japan. In Africa, as the destruction of its megafauna peaked in 2015-2016, it became obvious that China would decide if Africa’s elephant, lion and other species will survive.
African poachers could not resist the fees the syndicates were paying, and the syndicates had bribed officials and politicians.
2016 climaxed with elephant and lion populations crashing to unprecedented lows. In a matter of months, well over 1 000 rhinos were slaughtered.
Over the last few years, hundreds of Chinese and Vietnamese nationals – expatriates living in Africa as well as visitors and even diplomats – have been implicated in the casual slaughter of protected species. Their incursions have cost, annually, not only the deaths of tens of thousands of animals, marine and terrestrial, but also the deaths of hundreds of game rangers and security forces, not to mention a great many of the poachers themselves.
Every country south of the Sahara has been pillaged. In the last few years, 90% of the contraband has gone to China and Vietnam. The cost to Africa has been enormous.
A letter, hand-delivered to the Chinese ambassador to Namibia, Xin Shunkang, on December 16, 2016, crystallised the situation and will have resonated with wildlife departments from Kenya to the Cape.
The reaction came only in August when the new ambassador said he was concerned about the situation, but said Namibians must not forget how China has helped with the country’s economic development.
Namibia, whose economy is strongly dependent on eco-tourism, is internationally lauded for its community-sensitive wildlife conservation policy. But the wildlife slaughter led to 40 of Namibia’s conservation and natural science institutions to sign the letter.
The message (greatly shortened) read:
“Dear Ambassador Xin Shunkang,
“During the past few weeks, several Chinese nationals have been apprehended and charged with wildlife crimes, including illegal possession of rhino horn, ivory, pangolin skins and scales.
“Your embassy is on record stating that ‘it will not allow a few of its nationals… to tarnish (China’s) image’. While we recognise that not all Chinese nationals are involved in wildlife crimes, Namibia’s environmental community believes that the situation… is far more serious and broad-based than you have acknowledged.
“Until the arrival of Chinese nationals in significant numbers in Namibia, commercial wildlife crime was extremely low. As Chinese nationals moved into all regions of Namibia, setting up businesses, networks, acquiring mineral prospecting licenses and offering payment for wildlife products, the incidence of poaching, illegal wildlife capture, collection, killing and export has increased exponentially.
“Chinese nationals have been involved in, and/or are the commercial drivers behind:
The escalating poaching of rhinos and elephants and the illegal export.
The capture, trade and export of pangolins.
Chinese monofilament nets are destroying the fisheries of the Zambezi, Chobe, Kwando and Okavango Rivers.
The netting, capturing and killing of carmine bee-eaters at their breeding colonies.
The rise in bush-meat poaching wherever Chinese nationals are working on road construction and other infrastructure, including tortoises, monitor lizards, pythons… including protected and endangered species,
Illegal collection of coastal shellfish.
Illegal transit through Namibia of poached abalone from Cape (South Africa) waters.
We are also aware of Chinese nationals planning a shark fin industry, a practice that has caused widespread damage to shark populations worldwide.
Chinese nationals have proposed to capture marine mammals and seabirds.
“The illegal commercial interests of some Chinese nationals towards Namibia’s protected wildlife have exploited the vulnerability of poor Namibians and divided societies.
“(They) undermine local ownership of natural resources and the empowerment of communities to managing their wildlife wisely, for longterm communal benefits.
“The recent announcement by the Chinese business community that it is contributing N$30 000 (about R30 000) to counter rhino poaching… is an insult.
“A very conservative estimate of the (damage) to Namibia’s wildlife and ecosystems caused by Chinese nationals, is about N$811 million. This does not include the significant additional resources needed to combat escalating wildlife crimes.
“It appears Chinese nationals are not at liberty to obtain passports or travel independently around the world (but) appear to be part of a state supported system.
“We call on you to put an immediate stop to the illegal wildlife crimes perpetrated, encouraged, funded and supported by some Chinese nationals in Namibia.
“We call on the Chinese government to make good, by investing in Namibia’s environment sector in a transparent and internationally recognised manner, and in proportion to the damage caused, to help rebuild Namibia’s wildlife populations, ecosystems, management systems and reputation.
“This letter does not represent only the views of the 40 organisations listed below, but also the views of the Namibian public (and) their outrage at the leading role that Chinese nationals play in wildlife crime (which) have surely been noted by you and members of your embassy.
“You will also be aware of the sentiments expressed by our president and police inspector-general.
“China has a policy of non-intervention and yet these actions… and the apparent inaction of your embassy, are direct and indirect interventions that have disastrous impacts on our policy and legal framework, on our environmental culture and ethics, on our natural heritage and on our national conservation and development programmes. They also have huge negative impacts on our people and their livelihoods.
“In the last couple of years, particularly under the leadership of your President Xi Jinping, China has taken a decidedly more active leadership role in global issues.
“It is time to extend that leadership to natural resources and in particular, to wildlife conservation.
“Too many Chinese nationals have abused Namibia’s environmental laws, and this is causing growing resentment.
“We stand ready to work with a China that willingly takes on greater responsibility and leadership in addressing the illegal trade in wildlife and commits to putting an immediate stop to all wildlife crimes in Namibia by its nationals.”
Coincidentally (perhaps), it was less than a fortnight after the Namibian letter – in fact on New Year’s Day 2017 – that China made its dramatic announcement about ending ivory sales by 2018.
Vietnam was also showing signs of curbing the trade.
In March this year Vietnam’s state-controlled media reported that 100kg of rhino horn in two suitcases from Kenya had been confiscated at Hanoi Airport. No arrests were mentioned. Hanoi, by mid 2017, had still not announced any intention of complying with the Cites proposals for stronger measures against illegal wildlife imports.
It seems possible that before 2020, the Far East will have quit plundering Africa; but after any war, the aggressor is obliged to pay reparations. China and Vietnam, if held to account as they must be, should help fund the restoration of the areas they have ravaged and the species they have plundered.
● This is an extract from James Clarke’s new book, Overkill, which describes the history and extent of the slaughter of Africa’s wildlife. It calls for China, in particular, to pay reparations to countries it has ransacked. It is published by Penguin/Random House and retails for R190.