The Elephant Crisis Fund A new fund supporting The Crisis critical, catalytic field he elephant is an icon of the animal kingdom T and one of the world’s most intelligent, emotion- projects to save Africa’s ally complex living creatures. Elephants form close elephants from the ongoing family ties and appear to understand death. At least 33,000 elephants – and possibly far ivory crisis. more – are shot, speared, snared or poisoned each year in a devastating wave of poach- ing that is sweeping across Africa. Poachers hack tusks out of elephants’ faces, while gangs of organized criminals and corrupt businessmen ship ivory around the world. Some of Africa’s most noto- rious armed groups, such as the Janjaweed, Lord’s Resistance Army, Mai Mai, and Al Shabaab, are involved in ivory poaching, using the illicit gains to fi- nance terrorism and wars. As these sinister elements profit, elephant populations topple one by one. A world without wild elephants would be a tragic failure for humanity, but the survival of the elephant species is now threatened by human demand for ivory. Causes of the Crisis he ivory trade is primarily driven by burgeoning T demand in Asia, especially among China’s newly wealthy middle classes. Ivory is seen as a symbol of status and money. As wealth has grown in China, so has the demand for ivory pieces, which include an array of items from intricately carved statues to chopsticks and cell phone cases. This demand has driven ivory prices to record highs and thus provided strong incentives to poachers and traffickers, who are increasingly linked to multinational criminal networks. On-the-ground an- ti-poaching efforts remain sparse and, because of a lack of training and resources, are often outgunned and overwhelmed. Borders are too porous and unenforced to stop the flow of ivory along poorly policed trade routes. Compounding the brazenness of poachers and traders, prosecution and penalties are often inadequate as deterrents. The Solution A Coalition to Reduce Poaching, Trafficking & Demand he elephant crisis is now too big T for any one organization or gov- ernment to resolve. The only hope is a multifaceted response from a coalition of effective leaders, NGOs, institutions, media, scientists and governments that can develop and deploy well-funded, strategic and efficient actions to address poaching, trafficking and demand. Michael Nichols/NatGeoMichael © To save elephants, we must address all aspects of the ivory commodity chain. Anti-poaching efforts are cru- cial to prevent the killing of elephants The Elephant Crisis Fund in Africa. At borders, especially in Supporting the Coalition shipping ports, trafficking of ivory must be prevented to keep it from ave the Elephants (STE) and the Wildlife Conservation reaching markets. The demand for S Network (WCN) have created the Elephant Crisis Fund ivory products must be curtailed (ECF) to address the current ivory crisis. The ECF is in a in China and elsewhere to lower unique position to identify and fund high-priority, innovative the price of ivory and remove the projects across the entire coalition by providing an initial $5 incentives that entice people to kill million over the next three years to partners around the globe. elephants and participate in the trade. With the knowledge to guide appropriate action, the ECF is able to quickly and efficiently fund projects that address poaching, trafficking and demand. The Elephant Crisis Fund identifies strategic and catalytic “The future of projects that address: ANTI-POACHING Reducing poaching of elephants across elephants relies Africa, including training anti-poaching staff, providing tools and aircraft to support those personnel, and creating on a broad innovative community engagement with clear anti-poaching coalition that outcomes; ANTI-TRAFFICKING Reducing trafficking of ivory at na- can take action. tional, regional and global scales, including judicial reform and anti-trafficking tools such as sniffer dogs, training, forensic The ECF was technologies; DEMAND REDUCTION Decreasing demand for ivory in created to help Asia through media and policy outreach. fund that The ECF’s strengths lie in its ability to respond quickly to support multiple institutions working on different aspects of the ivory crisis. Led by two wildlife conservation leaders, the coalition.” ECF combines the elephant conservation experience and net- work of STE with the financial and administrative efficiency of – Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton WCN. This combination provides a unique model to jumpstart and scale up immediate action for elephants by rapidly de- ploying financial resources to carefully vetted field partners. 100% of dollars raised by the Elephant Crisis Fund will be used to support actionable, on-the-ground programs that save elephants. Programs Supported by the Elephant Crisis Fund he Elephant Crisis Fund was launched in 2013 and has already been able to make a difference for T elephants. The three projects below are examples of work funded by the ECF, which has supported organizations working in Africa, Asia and the US that range in size from the Tsavo Trust to the Wildlife Conservation Society. These organizations include not only non-governmental organizations, but also governmental organizations like the Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux in Gabon. Richard G. Ruggiero G. Richard © DZANGHA SANGHA KENYA ANTI- DEMAND REDUCTION ANTI-POACHING TRAFFICKING IN CHINA EMERGENCY RESPONSE Although ivory is regularly The ECF has funded WildAid in The ECF’s first intervention was seized at Kenyan ports, arrests its work using Chinese celebri- made within 24 hours of hearing and convictions of ivory traffick- ties to reduce demand for ivory the news that the world’s most ers remain minimal. The ECF is in China. Superstars such as bas- ketball great Yao Ming feature celebrated sanctuary for forest supporting WildlifeDirect in its in a campaign asking Chinese elephants, the World Heritage work of establishing entry, route consumers to refrain from buy- Site of Dzangha Sangha, had and exit points for dealers and ing ivory. The campaign was fallen to a rebel militia. A grant cartels, as well as the dealers’ broadcast thousands of times on of $100,000 was made to the modus operandi, in order to pro- pose methods of tackling ivory nearly two dozen TV channels in Wildlife Conservation Society to trafficking in Kenya. only its first two months. enable a rapid response team to be deployed in the area. Raising Funds ABOUT SAVE THE ELEPHANTS Save the Elephants is a long- for the Elephant term protector of elephants and a leading voice and Crisis Fund advocate for elephants on the international conservation and he ECF guarantees that 100% of geopolitical stage. Save the Elephants is a pioneer in data genera- T ECF funds will be used to support tion on elephant populations, threats and behaviors. actionable, on-the ground programs to save elephants. It is also designed to al- Founder Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton has spent 45 years working with low donors to double the impact of their elephants in Africa and has the extensive connections across the contributions with a dollar for dollar continent needed to partner with the most effective organizations match. and tackle the highest priorities. Iain alerted the world to the poach- Donors who contribute more than ing crisis in the 1970s and 80s and helped bring about the world $5,000 to the ECF may designate their ivory trade ban in 1989. He has helped bring the current crisis to gift to support specific actions, such as the world’s attention, testifying before the US senate on elephant anti-poaching efforts, anti-trafficking poaching and as an authority at CITES (Convention on International efforts, demand reduction, or to be used Trade in Endangered Species) meetings. as an additional match. Nairobi, Kenya The ECF plays a key role in funding the www.savetheelephants.org broad coalition of organizations that have joined together to save elephants and put an end to the ivory crisis. ABOUT WILDLIFE CONSERVATION NETWORK Donations can be made to the ECF through WCN Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) has a unique by check, mailed to: Wildlife Conservation Network reputation for efficiency, 209 Mississippi Street collaboration, flexibility and San Francisco, CA 94107, USA responsiveness in supporting field-based conservationists who are using innovative methods to by credit card, via: https://wildnet.org/donate?id=22 protect wildlife. WCN has the ability to create the connections and capital needed to effectively save wildlife. WCN has raised more by phone: 650.949.3533 than $35 million to support wildlife conservation, and has provided funds to over 45 organizations in 40 countries around the world. All donations are tax-deductible to WCN is a dynamic and trusted leader in wildlife conservation. the fullest extent of the law. WCN is Charity Navigator, America’s largest charity evaluator, recently a 501(c)3 non-profit organization ranked WCN as the #1 wildlife conservation non-profit in the US for (#30-0108469). For questions, call its financial efficiency, transparency and accountability. WCN at 650.949.3533 or email [email protected]. San Francisco, CA, USA www.wildnet.org © Lucy King.