‘We cannot frighten people into caring about wildlife conservation. This was our message at the London Conference on Illegal Trade in Wildlife, last week. All too often conservation is carried out at the expense of poor people. All too often we are overwhelmed by the dire state of nature. Unsurprisingly, therefore, the state of nature, its ecosystems and the biodiversity in them, continues to deteriorate. Current approaches are failing to change the prospects for wildlife, let alone people.
UN Environment shared this message at the London conference. That we can win the fight for wildlife and people. But we need to start with making wildlife a legitimate and viable land use option. We need to concentrate on triple-win policies, that put wildlife at the centre of delivering jobs for people, health for society and wealth for generations. We now have evidence that this can work.
While in London we met with financiers from the World Bank, Private Equity and Philanthropic chiefs, leading figures in tourism sector like Hilton and Abercrombie and Kent, as well as governments and civil society. We explored the need to secure the next frontiers for wildlife and tourism, and bring people to the centre of the enterprise. We can re-energise the nature movement.
I was also able to outline plans to host a major event on conservation action and tourism together with the African Union and the Giants Club, in April of 2019. The Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality in the Government of Zimbabwe, Hon Prisca Mupfumira, has already expressed her Government’s interest in hosting such an event at the mighty Victoria Falls.
That event, we hope, will be a critical first step in creating safe space for developing common understanding, sharing evidence and developing a new narrative of hope. For we can win the battle for wildlife. But only if we also place people at the centre of any solution to this challenge. After all, it’s about coexisting!
