<p> Remarks by Ambassador Michelle D. Gavin A Celebration of Community-based Environmental Achievements in Botswana Mogonye Village October 22, 2013 As prepared for delivery Acknowledgements</p><p> I am delighted to be here today to participate in the opening of this important initiative. Let me </p><p> first recognize our host, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and </p><p>Tourism, Neil Fitt, as well as all of our distinguished guests in attendance.</p><p> I would like to thank the Government of Botswana for their hospitality and their leadership on an</p><p> issue that’s not just locally important, it’s globally important: wildlife poaching and trafficking. </p><p>I also want to express my admiration for all of you here today – in one way or another, you are </p><p> working day in and day out to stop some very sophisticated transnational criminal networks, and </p><p>1 to protect resources that are essential for economic growth, fundamental to biodiversity, and </p><p> often inextricable from the culture and history of the regions where they are found.</p><p> There is incredible experience and expertise here in this room, and we have great expectations </p><p> for what you can accomplish in the next several days. </p><p> Wildlife trafficking is a multi-billion dollar illicit business that is decimating Africa’s iconic </p><p> animal populations. Well-armed, well-organized, and increasingly sophisticated networks of </p><p> poachers and criminals exploit porous borders and weak institutions to profit from trade in </p><p> illegally taken wildlife.</p><p> Many species – most notably elephants and rhinos – now face the risk of major decline or even </p><p> extinction. The big cats are likewise under growing threat.</p><p>2  However critical the situation has become, wildlife crime is not a new phenomenon. The </p><p> decision to organize this meeting stemmed from our conviction that the nature of wildlife </p><p> trafficking has changed.</p><p> Always a critical conservation issue, wildlife trafficking has now become an issue of economic </p><p> development, of health, of rule of law, and of national security. </p><p> Tourism, including eco-tourism, is playing an increasingly important role in Africa’s economic </p><p> development: international tourist arrivals to Africa increased even during the recent global </p><p> economic crisis, resulting in billions of dollars of revenue to governments and local economies.</p><p>3  Equitably distributed, these ecotourism profits can empower and enrich thousands of rural </p><p> communities across Africa. </p><p> But poaching threatens the revenue African countries earn from tourism, revenue that many </p><p> communities in Africa are dependent on. Botswana’s statistics provide a measure of what is at </p><p> stake. In 2012, ecotourism generated eight billion pula – almost a billion dollars – in revenue, </p><p> and supported almost 50,000 jobs in Botswana.</p><p> By 2022, tourism-related revenues in Botswana are projected to almost double to 15 billion pula </p><p>– but that will happen only if the country’s rich biodiversity is preserved. </p><p>4  Wildlife trafficking also poses a public health risk. Approximately 75 percent of emerging </p><p> infectious diseases – such as SARS, avian influenza, and the Ebola virus – are of animal origin.</p><p> The illegal trade in live animals and their parts, such as elephant tusks, rhino horns, or lion </p><p> bones, bypasses public health controls and puts human populations at risk of disease. </p><p> And most crucially, poaching and wildlife trafficking have become stability and security issues. </p><p>5  We are seeing clear instances of this in Central Africa. Militant groups including al-Shabab in </p><p>Somalia, the Janjaweed in Sudan and the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, have turned to </p><p> illegal ivory trafficking to finance weapons purchases, which they use in turn to sow terror and </p><p> instability. </p><p> But it’s not just about what kinds of activity can be funded with illicit profits. The very act of </p><p> wildlife trafficking erodes the rule of law. It undermines the capacity of the state to control and </p><p> protect its borders. It invites insidious corruption, and pries open space for other illicit activities.</p><p>It operates in fundamental opposition to the sound governance that is essential for peace and </p><p> prosperous growth.</p><p>6  For all of these reasons, the U.S. government has elevated wildlife crime from an environmental </p><p> issue to a foreign policy priority. My government is working with the international community </p><p> to combat the illegal trade in wildlife and promote conservation through a four-pillar strategy </p><p> that includes: 1) diplomatic outreach; 2) public diplomacy; 3) training; and, 4) partnerships. </p><p> The United States is engaging diplomatically to raise the profile of the growing global wildlife </p><p> trafficking challenge. We are active in CITES (SIGHT-ease), the International Union for the </p><p>Conservation of Nature, and with other multilateral bodies. We also work with organizations </p><p>7 such as Interpol, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Customs Organization, and the </p><p>World Bank in the fight against wildlife crime. </p><p> Our efforts with foreign governments, international organizations, NGOs and the private sector </p><p> seek to reduce demand and strengthen wildlife conservation, as well as build enforcement and </p><p> institutional capabilities. </p><p> Earlier this year, my government co-sponsored a resolution adopted at the 2013 UN Commission</p><p> on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice that encourages UN member states to classify wildlife </p><p> trafficking a “serious” crime, paving the way for more serious penalties for wildlife crime.</p><p> In Asian consumer nations, we are supporting public diplomacy initiatives designed to raise </p><p> awareness about wildlife trafficking, including demand reduction campaigns. This includes </p><p>8 public outreach to discourage consumption, highlight the environmental costs of purchased </p><p> exotic items, and underscore the criminal consequences of consuming illegally trafficked wildlife</p><p> products.</p><p> We are also bringing together the people charged with combating wildlife crime. Last spring the</p><p>U.S. government hosted 13 national park and wildlife officials, field agents, and NGO leaders </p><p> from nine southern African countries as part of an International Visitor Leadership Program </p><p> exchange. (I believe at least one of the participants, Lawrence Munro, is with us here today.)</p><p>9  The group visited U.S national parks and forests, met with their counterpart U.S. wildlife </p><p> officials – they even took time to attend a baseball game – and were able to form productive </p><p> relationships, and share best practices and lessons learned. One participant from Kenya, on </p><p> noting the large number of visitors at America’s national parks commented: “Communities in </p><p>Africa are sitting on a gold mine, but don’t know the value.”</p><p> In terms of our focus on training and partnerships I would like to highlight the following: </p><p> o The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides $10 million annually for wildlife protection </p><p> in Africa and Asia. </p><p>10 o The U.S. Agency for International Development supports over $12 million per year in </p><p> counter-wildlife trafficking activities. These include anti-poaching activities in Africa </p><p> and Asia, as well as demand reduction campaigns in Asia. USAID will also soon launch</p><p> a wildlife technology challenge that will promote the use of innovative technologies like </p><p> mobile phone applications and wildlife DNA analysis techniques to assist in combating </p><p> wildlife trafficking.</p><p> o Just outside Gaborone, in Otse, in partnership with the Government of Botswana, the </p><p>U.S. government supports the International Law Enforcement Academy, which has </p><p> trained 350 law enforcement officers in wildlife crime investigation since 2002. In the </p><p> last year, we have doubled the number of wildlife trafficking courses offered at ILEA. </p><p>11  And speaking directly to the theme of this gathering – regional partnerships – the United States </p><p> has invested $17 million since 2005 to support regional networks of wildlife enforcement </p><p> officials. We are working to establish a Global System of Regional Wildlife Enforcement </p><p>Networks – or “WENs” – to improve communication and strengthen response actions. Building </p><p> on existing WENs in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Central America, we are working with </p><p> partners to support the creation of new WENs in the Horn of Africa, and West Africa.</p><p> My government is also funding a three-year program on transcontinental wildlife trafficking with</p><p> the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the wildlife trade monitoring network</p><p>TRAFFIC (several members of which are here with us today). This study will improve our </p><p>12 understanding of current trends in wildlife trafficking and identify priority smuggling hot spots </p><p> for law enforcement to target. </p><p> And most recently, on July 1 in Tanzania, President Obama announced that the United States </p><p> would provide an additional $10 million in regional and bilateral training and technical </p><p> assistance to combat wildlife trafficking in Africa. </p><p> Although we are proud to be part of the solution, we must admit that we are also part of the </p><p> problem: the United States is a destination and transit point for trafficked wildlife and wildlife </p><p> products.</p><p>13  In response, President Obama recently signed an Executive Order to enhance coordination of </p><p>U.S. government efforts to combat wildlife trafficking. The Order establishes an interagency </p><p>Presidential Task Force and Advisory Council, which includes representatives from NGOs, </p><p> charged with developing a National Strategy to deal with wildlife trafficking.</p><p> The Task Force and Advisory Council are an explicit recognition that only through multi-agency </p><p> coordination and collaboration, like the kind that you will consider and debate here in coming </p><p> days, will it be possible to effectively combat wildlife trafficking.</p><p> We appreciate the difficulties involved in combating wildlife trafficking because we are facing </p><p> those difficulties ourselves. And like all of you here today, we also savor the victories. Let me </p><p> share one such success with you.</p><p>14  The National Wildlife Property Repository in Denver, Colorado, in the shadow of the Rocky </p><p>Mountains, holds smuggled wildlife parts worth millions of dollars seized at U.S. seaports, </p><p> border crossings and airports. </p><p> These range from leopard and tiger heads to bear claws and crocodile boots. The warehouse is </p><p> also stuffed with ivory that no longer fits on the shelves. Piles of tusks and boxes full of ivory </p><p> bracelets clutter the floor. In the very near future, six tons of this ivory will be crushed.</p><p> Authorities plan to use the pulverized ivory to create a memorial to the thousands of elephants </p><p> killed by poachers worldwide. </p><p>15  You have an opportunity at this conference to chalk up another victory against wildlife </p><p> trafficking and the illegal poaching networks that engage in it. We know that the best weapon </p><p> we have against the scourge of international poaching and wildlife trafficking is each other.</p><p> We know that wildlife traffickers and poachers have become better organized, that they are </p><p> better equipped, and that they operate in more sophisticated networks. They don’t let borders or </p><p> jurisdictional divides interrupt their operations. To defeat them, we must do the same. </p><p>16  We must organize ourselves better to confront the new, 21st century poaching threat. We must </p><p> forge more sophisticated partnerships with one another, partnerships that bring all of our </p><p> capacities to bear in the fight against wildlife trafficking. This means new partnerships among </p><p> agencies within governments; new partnerships among governments, NGOs, and the private </p><p> sector within our countries; and, new partnerships between governments, particularly among law </p><p> enforcement authorities. </p><p> It is only with coordination between law enforcement authorities in source, transit, and </p><p> destination countries that we can expect to defeat the wildlife trafficking networks that are now </p><p> threatening Africa’s natural heritage, its economic development, and its security. </p><p>17  There is much to be done, and listening to me talk isn’t making it happen. Please know that you</p><p> have my utmost respect for the important work you do, and thank you for letting me join you </p><p> today.</p><p>18</p>