Secure borders to curb poaching, says Environment Secretary Prof Judy Wakhungu

By RAWLINGS OTIENO and ISAAC MESO

KENYA: The war against poaching can only be won if nations work together to secure their borders, a government official has said.

Environment Cabinet Secretary Prof Judy Wakhungu said misuse of ports and airports as transit points for illegal wildlife products continues to be checked through efforts by vigilant warders, security personnel and patriotic citizens.

“Some of these illegal imports end up constituting alien or invasive species which threaten ecological balances, as well as our natural capital,” said Wakhungu.

She made the remarks during the official opening of the Sixth Natural Capital, Resilience and Sustainable Development in East Africa at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi, on Wednesday.

Wakhungu said wetlands and waters will need to be better protected to ensure sustainability, noting that lakes Victoria, Turkana or Tanganyika, as well as the Indian Ocean comprise part of the country’s regional boundaries.

Policies

And for wildebeests of the Mara to survive, conservation policies and initiatives on the one side of the border must be as good as those on the other side, she added.

Ethiopia is currently providing global leadership by planting an average of about 700 million trees annually.

Kenya still hopes to meet the United Nations’ requirement of 10 per cent forest cover even before the set deadline of 2030. This year has seen the country gradually start reversing deforestation.

Wakhungu said increased forest cover will help build natural capital, protect water catchments, improve biodiversity and provide additional carbon sinks to positively contribute to the global fight against climate change.

She said the government was in the process of revising the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.