Monthly Archives: February 2017

The toxic legacy of Tanzania’s ivory

Posted on 28/02/2017 by Marjan

The roots of Tanzania’s ivory poaching crisis are deep and historic By Professor Keith Somerville The recent staggering decline in Tanzania’s elephant numbers, down by 60% in less than ten years (please see previous blog), has horrified conservationists: it demonstrates … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, East Africa, Illegal Wildlife Trade, Ivory | Leave a comment

– 60%: a figure that stains Tanzania

Posted on 23/02/2017 by Marjan

Tanzania’s elephants suffer a staggering decline as corruption-driven poaching bites By Professor Keith Somerville, author of Ivory. Power and Poaching in Africa (Hurst, 2016) Tanzania has one of the largest savannah elephant populations in Africa with an estimated 42,871 elephants, … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Conservation, Illegal Wildlife Trade, Tanzania, Wildlife crime | Leave a comment

‘White gold’: Kenya’s black tale of greed

Posted on 15/02/2017 by Marjan

The three ‘C’s – commerce, colonialism and criminalisation of indigenous hunting – created the illegal poaching and smuggling networks in Kenya In the first blog on Kenya’s role in the international ivory trade, I concentrated on the current picture and … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Conservation, Ivory, Kenya, South Africa, wildlife | Leave a comment

Kenya’s criminal ivory tower

Posted on 14/02/2017 by Marjan

Behind the ivory burning and fine words lies corruption and smuggling. (Part 1 of 2). By Professor Keith Somerville, author of recently published ‘Ivory: power and poaching in Africa’. On 30th April 2016, President Uhuru Kenyatta set fire to over … Continue reading →

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Stalin’s ‘green’ gamble

Posted on 09/02/2017 by Marjan

The Soviets are often viewed as insatiable industrialists who saw nature as a force to be tamed and exploited. Song of the Forest counters this assumption, uncovering significant evidence of Soviet conservation efforts in forestry, particularly under Josef Stalin. In … Continue reading →

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