Fancy footwork
Britain is leading global efforts to prevent criminal gangs driving much-loved species into extinction
The Duke of Cambridge plays football at a primary school in Hanoi. The Duke, who is in Vietnam to highlight the illegal trade in wildlife, heard how storybooks are being used to teach children about endangered animals.
Wildlife is facing a global crisis. The future of some iconic species now hangs in the balance. The numbers are stark and upsetting. More than 144,000 African elephants have been lost to poaching since 2007, with savannah elephant populations down by a third. A third of tiger species are extinct, with fewer than 4,000 remaining in the wild; and more than two rhinos are killed every day.
These atrocities are the direct result of the illegal wildlife trade. Organised criminal gangs trade slaughtered animals on the black market, pushing them to the brink of extinction.
Many celebrated animals that roam our planet today could soon become nothing more than images in books or on screens. Future generations would not forgive us for sleep walking into that scenario.
The illegal wildlife trade not only threatens species such as rhinos and pangolins with extinction, but also breeds corruption and instability around the world. There is a terrible human cost; at least 1,000 park rangers have been killed defending these animals in the past decade alone.
Britain is doing more than ever before to protect global wildlife populations, but we need to go even further and our only hope of success is united international action. That is why I’m attending a gathering of world leaders in Hanoi alongside the Duke of Cambridge, who has a longstanding dedication to the cause.
The quicker we tackle this international problem with an international response, the sooner we can make change happen. I was proud to announce in Hanoi £13 million of UK funding for new initiatives tackling all aspects of the illegal wildlife trade – doubling our investment.
While visiting China earlier this week, I confirmed a joint UKChina partnership working with border forces in southern Africa to build skills in identifying wildlife smugglers and detecting concealed wildlife products to prevent illegal goods leaving the region.
And, next year, our Armed Forces will train an elite new force of antipoaching trackers based in countries such as Malawi to find criminals and bring them to justice.
Britain and Vietnam are developing plans for joint working between our border forces, national airlines and airports to lock down criminals transporting illegal wildlife products.
The UK will provide up to £4 million for international organisations to help bring criminals to justice across borders through the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime. We are also supporting Interpol to expand its work tracking illegal shipments of ivory, rhino horn and other illegal wildlife products.
In 2014 the UK helped to put the illegal wildlife trade at the top of the agenda with our ground-breaking London Conference. Since then, Botswana and Vietnam have brought leaders together and maintained momentum. I am delighted that Britain will hold a fourth conference in 2018 to make sure we are all delivering on our promises.
The UK is willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with any country fighting this criminal trade and act swiftly, without exception against those who take part in it.
As well as supporting the international effort, Britain is already working hard to protect global wildlife. Earlier this year, I announced plans to ban the sale of modern-day ivory. This is the first step in delivering our manifesto commitment to press for a total ban on ivory sales, and sends a clear message to the world that this abhorrent trade must cease.
These new UK-funded initiatives, alongside the clear global political will demonstrated in Hanoi, will not only strengthen our commitment but also make real progress towards protecting wildlife for future generations.
I hope the world will join the UK in striving to destroy this trade and protect our natural legacy.
Having met Vietnamese ministers, we have agreed to work together to make sure countries commit to pledges made so that by 2018 we will have seen real change.
The illegal wildlife trade must stop and I am determined that Britain will lead from the front.