More than 500 participants gathered in Nairobi today for the opening of the third International Off-Grid Renewable Energy Conference (IOREC). Organised by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the conference aims to boost electricity access through the development of off-grid renewables. Today, roughly 15 per cent of the world’s population lives without electricity, but off-grid…
CITES takes a Byte out of Wildlife Cybercrime
http://kurld.com/image.php?pic=/images/wallpapers/wildlife-images/wildlife-images-20.jpgWildlife cybercriminals will be under more scrutiny than ever following the commitment by all 183 Parties to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), to stamp out illegal online wildlife trade. The decision was taken at a high level meeting held during the CoP17 of the CITES being held in…
Environmentalists fear for the Nairobi Park
By PETER NGILA The Nairobi National Park has been under human and commercial encroachment, fuelled by the construction of the already-completed Phase One of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), Nairobi Green Belt Movement manager Gayling May has said. Speaking last Saturday during a walk through the park, May said, “the future of the park is…
CITES: Namibia loses in its bid on ivory market
Fifty-seven Parties to CITES have voted against a motion from Namibia claiming that a proposal to regulate domestic ivory markets is inadmissible as outside the scope of the Convention. The United States stated that “Parties have addressed domestic markets where there is a clear nexus between domestic and international trade. There is no better example…
Wildlife Cybercrime Centre Stage at CITES
Online wildlife crime poses a serious threat to endangered animals including elephants, rhinoceros, reptiles and birds, experts gathered at the CoP17 meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) said According to Tania McCrea-Steele, IFAW’s Global Wildlife Cybercrime Project Lead, at a time when counts show historic lows of African elephants, and…
A lot at stake for wildlife at 17th CITES conference in South Africa
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will hold its 17th Conference of the Parties (CoP 17) from 24 September to 5 October 2016 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The survival of many species will be affected by decisions taken by the delegates including rhinos, lions, elephants, pangolins, Barbary macaques and African Grey parrots.
“Illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade has become such a huge threat to many species that international cooperation between governments, NGOs and other stakeholders is absolutely vital in tackling it,” says Azzedine Downes, CEO and President of IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) and head of IFAW’s delegation. “Conservation must be at the heart of all decisions taken at the CoP. The stakes are high for so many species and we must make certain that sound science and the precautionary principle are deciding factors and not short term political or economic interests.”
What can we expect from SA at CoP 17?
By Melissa Reitz As the count down begins to the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP17) for CITES, which commences in Johannesburg on 24 September, conservationists question the relevance of the issues at stake and what one can expect from the hosts: South Africa. With a huge range of pressing issues to…
Spend to save: Investing in environment boosts national economies
When environment-related public spending is compared to the much-larger economic costs of environmental damage, governments tend to sit up and take notice – and invest more in sustainability. Depending on the country, public expenditure ranges from 15-60 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Generally, only a few per cent of this is directed towards…