Introduction

The Challenge

Wildlife crime is a multi-billion-dollar illicit business that is decimating Africa’s iconic wild animal populations, and undermining the economic prosperity and sustainable development of countries and communities throughout southern Africa. It threatens the region’s natural capital and undermines sustainable development from legal nature-based enterprises such as ecotourism. Wildlife crime also threatens social stability and cohesion as it robs citizens of their cultural and natural heritage, while its organized criminal networks threaten regional peace and security.

The African Conservation Trust (ACT) World Youth Wildlife Summit, which was supported by a grant from VukaNow, took place in South Africa on 21-24 September 2019, and was attended by some 200 youth delegates, teachers and community leaders from 16 countries. This event provided a platform for passionate youth, aged 15-18, to engage with conservation experts and experience African wildlife firsthand. It brought together youth leaders from Africa and around the world, empowering them to become local, national, and international ambassadors for wildlife conservation.

VukaNow’s Approach

VukaNow’s role in achieving the goal of significantly reducing wildlife crime in southern Africa is to catalyze learning and sharing of information and best practices and to enhance collaborative efforts to combat wildlife crime in the region. In so doing, VukaNow – together with its partners – works to coordinate learning across USAID/Southern Africa’s landscape-based CWC activities and to support strategic regional activities that are necessary to address the wildlife crime challenges that fall outside any discrete landscape. This includes working with international, regional, national, and local stakeholders to garner an integrated and collaborative approach to combating wildlife crime in the region. VukaNow supports novel and innovative approaches to combating wildlife crime, particularly through the use of purpose-built technology and wildlife forensics. The Activity oversees a robust grant facility to accelerate specific, targeted interventions to address wildlife crime, including community engagement, and also works to leverage partnership opportunities with the private sector. In addition, VukaNow works with journalists and other media actors to facilitate improved transparency and reporting on wildlife crime.

VukaNow recognizes that law enforcement alone cannot sufficiently or effectively address wildlife crime. Enforcement actions must be coupled with efforts to incentivize local communities’ participation in and support for combating wildlife crime efforts. VukaNow consolidates and shares lessons with its landscape partners, conservation NGOs, and governments on proven, effective approaches to integrating local communities into combating wildlife crime efforts in the target landscapes.