Part II
In yesterday’s edition, the writer dealt with the hardship wildlife and nature are confronting due to COVID-19. In this piece, he continued explaining the possible damages and the corrective measures being taken by governments.
It is to be recalled that only through the blood and tears of many conservation groups and individual heroes and heroines such as my favorite Dame Jane Goodall, the famed English primatologist and anthropologist that the mountain Gorilla and the close relatives the chimpanzees were brought back from the brink of extinction. However, many in the circle of conservation fear that decades of gain might be at risk due to the pressure and disruption posed by the current pandemic.
The situation of conservation in Ethiopia cannot be possibly so different. It is empirically observable that our country has over the past century lost most of its wildlife, natural habitats and biodiversity due to illegal hunting, trafficking, animal organs trade, human settlement, agriculture expansion and human/wildlife conflict.
Especially the so called “big five” that include the iconic and majestic black mane Lion a subspecies that has been used as the symbol of the Ethiopian emperor’s strength and national pride during the monarchic era and which is now critically endangered and found only in small niches in the country, the Rhinoceros and the Elephant which according to a study by the Cambridge University press published online in 2009 have “suffered massive decline since the turn of the century” with only few individuals in the wild in the case of the Rhino and a few thousand in the case of the Elephant. The other two members of the “big five” African mammals, namely the Leopard and the Cape buffalo are in similar conditions of critical endangerment and pressure.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the unfortunate perpetual socio-political instability in the Horn of Africa region, namely in the bordering areas of Ethiopia, Somaliland, Kenya reports by conservation groups indicate that there has been a huge spike in the illegal trade of wildlife, especially of cheetah cubs.
Although authorities in these countries have stated that they do their best to crackdown on this illegal activity, due to the large border areas to watch over, the inadequate resources, and the growing and insatiable demand for the wildlife organs in China and for exotic pets in the middle east it has been impossible to eradicate or control the illegal practice of poaching and wildlife trading.
Arguably it’s in our DNA to flaunt our wealth and status and modern generations especially millennial love nothing more than to become the talk of the town with a selfie or a video
on instagram with a cheetah while driving lavish Italian rides with pouncing ponies on the bonnet and chilling with the cats in their multimillion mansions with infinity waterfalls. Wealthy individuals are willing and able to pay large amounts of monies to get their hands on the coveted animal. And they certainly often do get them. The prospect of wealth for a poor village dweller in Africa to become a poacher and change his life and improve the lives of his family is often simply too attractive to pass on.
According to “The African sustainable conservation news” website, there are now fewer than 7,500 cheetahs left in the wild, from the more than 100,000 a century ago. We simply have to do more in terms of investment in conservation, wildlife protection, and cracking down on poachers and traders with hefty fines and very long prison sentences as deterrents. After all, it’s in our own best interest to work hard to look after our environment and wildlife as tourism is one of the strategic sectors that many governments around the world have outlined as strategic sectors to bring about employment and economic growth.
Given the already worrying states of affairs when it comes to environmental and wildlife protection it is legitimate to question the negative impact of COVID-19 on our flora and fauna. History shows that in times of crisis, war, famine etc. whenever big threats face countries, especially those in an already perpetual critical conditions, all the efforts (rightly so) are turned to facing the crisis and unfortunately the environment and wildlife are given little if any attention at all.
This holds truth even in developed nations. Recently, outrage and disbelief was caused by the statement of a German zoo that warned the public it would be forced to cull and feed some of its animals to the others as the loss from revenue caused by the lack of visitors due to COVID-19 has left the institution with no means to pay for the feed needed by the residents at the zoo.
In Africa, the COVID-19 pandemic opens a unique window of opportunity for individuals and criminal organizations engaged in the illegal trade and poaching of wildlife.
Furthermore, farmers will also push in on previously protected areas and clear the land previously protected to plant it with crops. Pastoralist communities will also cross into parks and protected areas with their cattle and compete with the herbivores for forage.
Additionally, transfer of diseases from cattle and other domestic animals such as dogs to wild animals is almost always guaranteed in such settings adding further fuel to the fire.
Although the government of Ethiopia, under the stewardship of Prime minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) has undertook, in the past couple of years, massive efforts towards reforestation and environmental protection that have garnered the attention and praise of many in the international community, culminating in him being awarded the Nobel price which he won mainly for his efforts of signing a peace treaty with longtime foe and neighbor Eritrea some say that his efforts towards the national push to plant billions of trees has also had impact on the committee’s decision to award him the honor. Although these tree planting efforts are laudable we are however yet to hear and/or see similar campaigns and resource mobilizations towards the protection of wildlife and of existing flora and biodiversity.
It is the opinion of many leading conservation organizations and scientists that actions such as reforestation are a welcome relief for the environment as trees enrich the soil, conserve water, and bring rain, but it is also in the opinion of experts that humans cannot possibly replicate the perfection that nature brings by creating environments that are naturally rich with biodiversity and that are perfectly balanced guaranteeing long term stability, continuity, sustainability for an ideal life for man and beasts.
In other words, a billion trees are not a forest but just a billion pieces of wood if not carefully integrated in existing ecosystems. This is realized by careful balancing and respecting the established local indigenous flora and fauna. This is easier said than done. It is a task that can be realized through years of strategic efforts based on careful planning, research and execution by environmental specialists. In other words, although the political will is welcome, the effort would bare much more fruit if it was undertaken in a more coordinated, scientific and strategic manner.
In light of the above described I think that it in our interest to remember to protect the flora and fauna even during the pandemic and not shrug off the issue as if something superfluous and secondary. If we want our tourism sector to flourish and if we want to pass the wealth of natural resources to future generations, no matter how dire the current situation, we need to show at individual level and collectively the same type of apprehension and compassion to the defenseless animals under our care as that we show to our other fellow humans.
In my opinion, the public’s outrage at the newly erected statue of a Peacock at the front of the National palace, I suppose for decorative purposes, is quite misplaced. The same type of outrage should be directed at the state of affairs of our wildlife conservation status as it would have surely garnered a much needed debate, brought welcome attention and hopefully positive action towards improvement of the state of affairs. After all, isn’t one’s humanity measured by the compassion and care that one shows to those who are weaker than him?
The Ethiopian Herald May 13/2020
BY DAWIT TESFAYE
