£ 44.5 million awarded to end poaching and animal trafficking around the world

Projects aimed at fighting illegal international wildlife trade received a mbadive boost. On 2 July, £ 44.5 million was allocated to initiatives to combat wildlife trafficking around the world.

Michael Gove, British Minister for the Environment, announced that the Ministry of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs million to the cause. These funds will be invested in 14 new Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund projects to protect wildlife from illegal trade in 27 countries.

Challenge projects aim to reduce the demand for illegal products from sustainable livelihoods and economic development to help those directly affected by the industry.

Funds will also be allocated to protect specific 'iconic' species, including Sumatran tigers and snow leopards often targeted by poachers. Other animals protected by the projects will include elephants, sharks, rays, pangolins, lions, cheetahs, crocodiles, monkeys, antelopes and hippos, among others, all of which are susceptible to poaching.

and require coordinated international action, " Gove said in a statement. " Our Fund to Combat Illegal Wildlife Trade is driving change to fight against these abject crimes … These priorities reflect our commitment in the 25-year Environmental Plan to work with other nations to eradicate this vile trade. " [19659002] He added, " The fund, in parallel to our introduction of one of the world's toughest bans on ivory sales, show our global leadership in protecting wildlife in its natural environment. "Will ban the sale of ivory re following the results of a survey that revealed an overwhelming majority of British public opinion opposed to the ivory trade.

The recent announcement of funding was joined by new goals to end the ivory trade. The British government aims to reduce by at least a third the slaughter of African elephants for ivory by 2020 and to halve these rates by 2024. government also aims to see more than 30 countries ban ivory "More than 20,000 African elephants are killed each year, fueling the despicable illegal ivory market and the dirty profits of poachers", Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said in a statement. "We can not just look at more and more species threatened by criminal criminals and corrupt middlemen who deprive local communities in Africa and Asia of sustainable livelihoods."

Organized crime and would generate about 17 billion pounds each year. The industry harms more than the animals involved; The UK government's website stresses that environmental crime works through "networks of corrupt officials and agencies to undermine sustainable development and the rule of law, bringing misery to local communities." ]

"The illegal wildlife trade not only endangers the world's most endangered species, but also fuels the corruption and crime that hampers the development of some of the world's poorest nations," said Penny Mordaunt. the International Development Secretariat

Defra and the Department for International Development were able to secure about 40 million pounds of support for the Global Wildlife Program of the Global Environment Facility. The initiative is the largest program devoted to combating poaching, trafficking and the demand for wildlife products. Increased funding allows for more than ever spending to end the illegal wildlife trade in Africa and Asia, including strengthening enforcement at the borders, fighting corruption and developing nature-oriented tourism.

efforts to minimize poaching and protect the environment. In Zimbabwe, a fully vegan military conservation model named "Akashinga" (meaning "The Braves") is composed of a team of underprivileged women who are trained to fight trophy hunters. The Akashinga project restores wilderness, protects wildlife and works with the local community to provide an alternative to poaching.