MICHAEL GOVE ‘Real possibility that future generations will know elephants only from books‘

HUMAN greed for ivory is driving a devastating decline in elephant numbers – 20,000 are killed every year – and despite public disgust there is no let-up in the slaughter.

Last week it was reported that in one of the most sickening attacks yet mounted in Africa, more than 50 magnificent elephants were killed near a sanctuary in Botswana – a terrible blow for a country with a long and successful conservation programme.

The tusks had been hacked off and spirited away, to be sold on for vast sums by unscrupulous criminals.

We must act or face the real possibility that future generations will know elephants only from books, photos or films – an unthinkable prospect.

Tackling rapidly increasing wildlife crime is a government priority. Our ban on the sale of ivory will be among the strictest in the world.

But this latest attack is a grim reminder of the urgent need for further action on a global scale.

And in a month’s time, the UK will be pressing for concerted international efforts when it hosts national leaders, NGOs and conservationists at the fourth Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Conference.

Saving the African elephant will be high on the conference agenda. Our new Ivory Alliance 2024, which I will chair, aims to cut the numbers killed for their ivory by at least a third by 2020, and to halve this rate again by 2024.

But we will also focus on the plight of many other protected and endangered species.

Over 1,000 species of animals and plants are so threatened with extinction according to Cites, an international agreement between governments, that their commercial trade is allowed only in exceptional circumstances.

Cites protects around 5,600 species of animals and 30,000 species of plants.

In recent years, rare rhino, pangolins, sturgeons – even rosewood – have suffered grievously. I’m glad to say the Government already funds a number of protection projects around the world, often aimed at lesser-known species. We know that in south-east Asia alone, up to 1.3 million birds are taken from the wild every year. And if that sounds a long way from the UK, illegal trafficking brings the plight of rare or tropical species close to home.

Chester Zoo received some new residents – 100 exotic birds from 14 different species which were seized by customs officials in Europe.

It is likely that the birds would have been sold illegally as pets, assuming they survived transportation in often squalid conditions. Instead, they will now form a crucial part of international breeding programmes.

I am delighted, too, that the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which includes Chester, has led the way on this issue with a pact calling for an end to IWT. It’s important to realise that wildlife criminals don’t only destroy iconic species.

They’re involved in serious, organised racketeering. Overall, environmental crime, including IWT, is the fifth most lucrative serious organised crime, estimated to be worth up to £17billion a year.

In this shadowy, underground world, criminals conspire with corrupt officials and agencies to undermine sustainable development and the rule of law. Their profits are ploughed into more illegal schemes, heaping fresh misery on communities.

So this year’s conference aims to identify new and effective ways to frustrate their activities.

The stakes are high and time is not on our side. Wildlife crime drives species to the very edge of existence. It harms local communities and brings violence to people’s lives.

For these reasons, the conference can’t come soon enough. I look forward to working with our partners to secure the firm support of the public, businesses, NGOs and other governments worldwide.

And show that the international community is committed to fighting for the future of our most precious and endangered wildlife. Environment Secretary writes for the Daily Express