NAIROBI, Kenya (PAMACC News) - Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has welcomed the British government’s plan to close - with some limited exemptions - its domestic ivory markets.

Ivory (whether raw or worked) continues to be traded legally within UK and the other European Union (EU) Member States, in auction houses, markets, shops and online – and that antique items can even be traded without permits or certificates.

Paul Gathitu, KWS spokesman said the existence of legal ivory markets and exports provide opportunities for laundering illegal ivory.

“The existence of these markets and exports also fuel demand for ivory within the UK and abroad and thus contribute to poaching,” Gathitu said.

He noted that KWS and Government welcome the plan by UK to close its ivory markets as this will obliterate any chances for opportunists, who may have in the past used the existing market in antique ivory as a cover for trade in illegal ivory.  

The UK Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson at the end of last year said that his aim is to make 2018 the year of British leadership in defeating the ivory trade.

“Ivory poaching is an abhorrent crime and it is shocking that in the 21 century we are still witnessing the slaughter of tens of thousands of elephants every year for their tusks. It is mankind’s privilege to share the planet with these wonderful creatures but their treatment is heartbreaking,” Johnson said.

He added, “We are committed to tackling this problem and are playing a key role in building global consensus to stamp out the illegal wildlife trade. Our plans to ban the sale of all ivory products in the UK will remove opportunities for criminals to trade illegally-poached ivory, helping to protect this majestic and endangered species.”

Speaking last week, UK’s Environment Secretary Michael Gove said the decline in the elephant population fuelled by poaching for ivory shames the current generation.

“The need for radical and robust action to protect one of the world’s most iconic and treasured species is beyond dispute. Ivory should never be seen as a commodity for financial gain or a status symbol – so we want to ban its sale. These plans will put the UK front and centre of global efforts to end the insidious trade in ivory,”  Gove said.

Effective January 1, 2018, China banned the mainland domestic sale of elephant ivory and related products, a significant move toward slowing the annual slaughter of the largest land animals on Earth. The UK’s plan to follow suit could not have come at a better time.  

Consequently, Gathitu noted that KWS and Kenya recognizes this bold step as important in the war against elephant poaching and illegal ivory trade, pulling especially the African elephant further away from the precipice of extinction.

“The significance of support from such an influential quarter can be measured in the multiple effects seen in the results on the ground. An example is the global effort focusing on elephant conservation between 2014 to date, targeting ivory source countries, transit and consumer countries, which has led to remarkable reduction in elephant poaching in the source countries and ivory demand in the consumer countries,” he said.

Gathitu also pointed out that the measures agreed to by States on implementation of  National Ivory Action Plan process under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to combat elephant poaching and illegal ivory trade are yielding positive results.

“KWS and Kenya stand ready to partner closely with the British government, as well as other conservation partners, in all further endeavours to fight elephant poaching , ivory trade and  wildlife crime,” Gathitu said.

The most recent census results for elephants and other large land mammals were released by Prof. Judi Wakhungu, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources at a press conference held at KWS headquarters on December 22, last year.

The results covered census conducted in 2016 and 2017 in five key ecosystems which are elephant distribution areas and revealed thriving elephant populations and decreased poaching trends.  

The censuses; aerial total survey of elephants, buffaloes and giraffe in the Laikipia-Samburu-Meru-Marsabit ecosystem in November 2017 showed a 12 per cent increase over the past five years.

A total of 7,347 elephants were counted compared to 6,454 elephants counted in 2012, which translated to an annual increase of 2.4 per cent over the period.  
In February last year, Gathitu said the dry-season aerial census for the Tsavo-Mkomazi was conducted.

"The triennial cross-border survey covered Tsavo East, Tsavo West and, Chyulu National Parks as well as South Kitui National Reserve in Kenya and Mkomazi National Park in Tanzania,. The census showed a growth of 14.7 per cent in the elephant population over the last three years," he said.   

The African Forest Forum is recruiting for the position of a Senior Programme Officer (SPO) to be based at its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, reporting to the Executive Secretary through the Head of Programmes Management Unit (PMU). The SPO shall work on tasks related two projects implemented by AFF on “Strengthening Sustainable Forest Management in Africa” and “African Forests, People and Climate Change”.

 
About the two projects
The two projects have several components focussing on:

• Managing partnership platforms through which stakeholders identify challenges to sustainable management of forests and trees and co-create solutions;
• Enhancing sustainable management practices to improve resilience of trees and forests to adverse effects of climate change, and up-scale promising approaches that support livelihoods;
• Generating evidence based information to support efforts in forest law enforcement, promotion of  good forest governance and fair trade in forest products and services;
• Strengthening the capacity of institutions and individuals  to achieve forest compatible development;
• Strengthening Africa’s capacity in regional and international engagements and facilitate mainstreaming of decisions from the same.
• Improving knowledge and capacity of African stakeholders in managing forests and landscapes in the context of climate change.
• Informing and contributing to the shaping of policies and initiatives relevant to forests and climate change.
• Collation, synthesis and dissemination of critical information and knowledge to stakeholders through publications in peer reviewed journals, policy briefs, factsheets, working papers and other avenues.

 
Duties and responsibilities:

• Planning and implementation of project activities
• Developing  annual plans of work and budgets as well as reports for discussion and approval by the Project Steering and Advisory Committee (PSAC)
• Securing the attainment of  project objectives and other  deliverables
• Ensuring quality assurance with respect to project outputs
• Identification and securing implementation of project changes and interventions to achieve project outputs
• Facilitating the undertaking of project evaluations and assessment of results.
• Assist the project leaders on any other duties, as well as any other responsibilities as may be directed by the Executive Secretary.

 
Key competencies and skills:

• Good communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills
• Good leadership qualities especially with respect to planning, organisation, critical thinking and decision making
• Efficient team management skills
• Ability to resolve conflicting situations
• Computer or technical knowledge
• Effective problem-solving skills 
• Adaptability and stress tolerance

 
Qualification and experience:

• Ph.D.  in forestry, environment,  natural resources management or related area;
• A minimum of 5 years of post Ph. D. experience;
• Must have the capacity and demonstrated experience in the leadership of projects and programmes  in forestry;
• Must have the capacity and demonstrated experience in application of forest science to the management of natural resources;
• Must  be a good team player;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in either English or French; working knowledge of the other will be an added advantage.

Terms of offer:

 
How to apply
Go to http://worldagroforestry.org/working-for-icraf/vacancies

Applications will be considered until 28 January 2018, please note that only short-listed applicants meeting the above requirements will be contacted.
 
Applicants who had previously applied for this position need not to re-apply.
 
To learn more about the World Agroforestry Centre and the African Forest Forum please visit our websites: www.worldagroforestry.org and www.afforum.org

Dr Evans Kituyi is a research scientist and a Senior Programme Specialist at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)’s Climate Change Programme, charged with overseeing the successful implementation of the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA)programme jointly funded by Canada’s IDRC and UK’s DFID. The Pathways to Resilience in Semi-arid Economies (PRISE) consortium partners led by the UK based Overseas Development Institute (ODI)is one of the four consortia implementing CARIAA.

In Kenya, the PRISE consortium researchers have been working closely with vulnerable pastoral communities in Laikipia to understand how such communities can enhance the value chains of their livestock so as to avoid huge losses especially during extreme droughts.

In essence, the project is looking at how pastoralist communities may convert the climate change threat to the sector into opportunities for resilience.

Dr Kituyi spoke to PAMACC News reporter ISAIAH ESIPISU about the ongoing research in Kenya.

Q. What is Pathways to Resilience in Semi-arid Economies (PRISE) project all about?

This is a 5-year multi-country research project covering Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kenya, Senegal, and Burkina Faso. The consortium is working in collaboration with a team of country partners who have extensive expertise in research and policy on climate change and semi-arid regions to generate new knowledge about how economic development in semi-arid regions can be made more equitable and resilient to climate change.

The project supports decision-makers in local and national governments, civil society and businesses to strengthen their commitment to influencing policy interventions and investments that create more equitable and resilient economic development.
This is achieved by transforming the way key policy-makers make decisions through deepening their understanding of how climate change presents both threats and opportunities for economies in semi-arid areas.

Q. How has climate change and climate variations affected pastoral communities in Kenya?

Extreme climatic conditions have always lowered value of livestock animals and their products. When this happens, it reduces incomes from the markets, and in extreme conditions, it leads to death of the animals. This leads to poverty. As a result, desperate communities will always opt to raid neighbouring communities so as to replenish their lost stocks. More often than not, the stock theft leads to people slaying each other, and houses being torched, which further accelerates poverty.

Q.  Following lessons learned from the project so far, how can pastoralist communities enhance value chain of their animals and develop resilience to climate change and climate variations?

The first one is commercialization of livestock production. This can be done in collaboration with the private sector and the government. If the animals are sold way before they are emaciated, they will fetch good income for the owner, which can help them restock once the dry season is over.

There is therefore need for pastoral communities to be given adequate access to market information for easy commercialization of their animals.

The second one is the need for improved financial services for pastoralist communities. This will help them manage their finances well after selling their stocks, hence buy more stock once the climatic conditions are conducive.

Third, there is need for increased investment in early warning systems. County governments should take this as priority number one. It is only through information from these systems that pastoralists can know the opportune time for selling their stocks.

Others include upgrading animal health services, increasing market access, development of policy frameworks to support the pastoralist economy; and increased tenure security, particularly around land.

Q. How does the PRISE project on ‘Enhancing Resilience for Livestock Value Chain’ fit in Kenya’s context?

Kenya is in the processes of implementing its Climate Change Action Plan—and the PRISE strategy of enhancing resilience of livestock value chains is consistent with this Plan. Similarly, the AU through the 2016 Livestock Development Strategy (LiDeSA) emphasized the critical role of value chains in enhancing resilience in the sector.

Q. What do you think should be done to ensure lessons are brought to the national agenda?

That will only happen through increased communication of research findings to diverse audiences using different media channels.

There is also need for political goodwill so that parliament in particular can highlight and debate the subject in relation to research findings —considering it is a major issue during drought. Already, a parliamentary group on pastoral areas exists and needs to be more proactive on engaging stakeholders to adopt innovations emerging from participatory research.

Dr Evans Kituyi is a research scientist and a Senior Programme Specialist at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)’s Climate Change Programme, charged with overseeing the successful implementation of the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA)programme jointly funded by Canada’s IDRC and UK’s DFID. The Pathways to Resilience in Semi-arid Economies (PRISE) consortium partners led by the UK based Overseas Development Institute (ODI)is one of the four consortia implementing CARIAA.

In Kenya, the PRISE consortium researchers have been working closely with vulnerable pastoral communities in Laikipia to understand how such communities can enhance the value chains of their livestock so as to avoid huge losses especially during extreme droughts.

In essence, the project is looking at how pastoralist communities may convert the climate change threat to the sector into opportunities for resilience.

Dr Kituyi spoke to PAMACC News reporter ISAIAH ESIPISU about the ongoing research in Kenya.

Q. What is Pathways to Resilience in Semi-arid Economies (PRISE) project all about?

This is a 5-year multi-country research project covering Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kenya, Senegal, and Burkina Faso. The consortium is working in collaboration with a team of country partners who have extensive expertise in research and policy on climate change and semi-arid regions to generate new knowledge about how economic development in semi-arid regions can be made more equitable and resilient to climate change.

The project supports decision-makers in local and national governments, civil society and businesses to strengthen their commitment to influencing policy interventions and investments that create more equitable and resilient economic development.
This is achieved by transforming the way key policy-makers make decisions through deepening their understanding of how climate change presents both threats and opportunities for economies in semi-arid areas.

Q. How has climate change and climate variations affected pastoral communities in Kenya?

Extreme climatic conditions have always lowered value of livestock animals and their products. When this happens, it reduces incomes from the markets, and in extreme conditions, it leads to death of the animals. This leads to poverty. As a result, desperate communities will always opt to raid neighbouring communities so as to replenish their lost stocks. More often than not, the stock theft leads to people slaying each other, and houses being torched, which further accelerates poverty.

Q.  Following lessons learned from the project so far, how can pastoralist communities enhance value chain of their animals and develop resilience to climate change and climate variations?

The first one is commercialization of livestock production. This can be done in collaboration with the private sector and the government. If the animals are sold way before they are emaciated, they will fetch good income for the owner, which can help them restock once the dry season is over.

There is therefore need for pastoral communities to be given adequate access to market information for easy commercialization of their animals.

The second one is the need for improved financial services for pastoralist communities. This will help them manage their finances well after selling their stocks, hence buy more stock once the climatic conditions are conducive.

Third, there is need for increased investment in early warning systems. County governments should take this as priority number one. It is only through information from these systems that pastoralists can know the opportune time for selling their stocks.

Others include upgrading animal health services, increasing market access, development of policy frameworks to support the pastoralist economy; and increased tenure security, particularly around land.

Q. How does the PRISE project on ‘Enhancing Resilience for Livestock Value Chain’ fit in Kenya’s context?

Kenya is in the processes of implementing its Climate Change Action Plan—and the PRISE strategy of enhancing resilience of livestock value chains is consistent with this Plan. Similarly, the AU through the 2016 Livestock Development Strategy (LiDeSA) emphasized the critical role of value chains in enhancing resilience in the sector.

Q. What do you think should be done to ensure lessons are brought to the national agenda?

That will only happen through increased communication of research findings to diverse audiences using different media channels.

There is also need for political goodwill so that parliament in particular can highlight and debate the subject in relation to research findings —considering it is a major issue during drought. Already, a parliamentary group on pastoral areas exists and needs to be more proactive on engaging stakeholders to adopt innovations emerging from participatory research.