NAIROBI - Wildlife management and protection in East Africa will get a boost through a $4.6 million partnership between USAID Missions and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI). The joint effort will significantly advance efforts to combat transnational wildlife crime in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and other countries in the region.

Wildlife crime threatens security, livelihoods, and biodiversity in East Africa as demand for elephant ivory and rhino horn continues to rise and poaching methods become increasingly sophisticated. International networks for the poaching, transit, and sale of illegal wildlife products target wildlife populations, creating a complex problem that transcends national boundaries. President Obama reinforced the importance of this issue on his recent trip to Kenya, when he highlighted U.S. efforts under the National Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking. As part of the American commitment to addressing this issue, USAID/Kenya and East Africa has integrated requests from Missions in Tanzania, Uganda, and others to establish the first U.S. interagency agreement in the world specifically focused on combatting wildlife trafficking: the Partnership to End Wildlife Trafficking in East Africa.

The partnership will focus first in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, addressing national priorities and challenges in each country, while constructing a more-comprehensive plan to address wildlife crime in the region. USAID Missions and national government agencies will identify priorities, and activities will be carried out by DOI technical specialists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the Bureau of Land Management, among others.

The Partnership will apply DOI expertise in law enforcement, investigation, ranger training, border inspections, land-use planning, and managing the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species to develop skills and a strong network to combat wildlife trafficking throughout the East African region. This work will be augmented by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service law-enforcement attachés posted at Embassies around the world. Transboundary linkages will also be established between source and demand countries in Africa and Asia, using lessons learned from similar DOI projects in Asia and Central America.

DOI will work with government and civil society partners to determine what type of work will be most effective to develop counter-wildlife trafficking practices. Activities might include job training for park officers, customs inspectors, investigators, prosecutors, and judges; providing specialized patrolling, tracking and investigation equipment; or developing curriculum and such written materials as species-identification guides and public-outreach materials. Using in-country training centers and organizational plans, the U.S. government will complement ongoing efforts with the perspective and capabilities of its technical specialists. Planning has already begun, and activities on the ground will begin in October 2016.

Using the technical expertise and opportunities for greater collaboration provided by DOI, USAID/Kenya and East Africa will lead the development of a regional counter-wildlife trafficking program serving the needs and priorities of multiple countries and USAID Missions.