Make Mombasa port-ivory free zone to stem illegal trade, say researchers

Thai customs officers inspect confiscated elephant tusks in Bangkok on April 27, 2015. The illegal ivory passed through Kenya's Mombasa port. A study has recommended that the port be declared an ivory-free zone as a way of fighting the illegal trade. AFP PHOTO | PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL 

In Summary

• A four-year study says that Mombasa has become a crucial link for ivory exporters seeking a direct link to East Asia markets.
• There was need to sensitise governments as well as pro-wildlife stakeholders in ensuring that information on various ways to curb ivory and rhino horn trade was optimised.
• The study called for the implementation of an urgent sensitisation campaign for security agencies, revenue officials as well as other stakeholders.
• At least 40 shipments of ivory passed through Kenya while 16 incidents of ivory seizures abroad are believed to have originated from Kenya.

By James Kariuki
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Researchers now want Kenya’s port of Mombasa to become an ivory-free zone saying this will fundamentally disrupt the illegal trade.

A four-year study by five researchers led by Nikkita Patel from University of Pennsylvania in the US says that Mombasa has become a crucial link for ivory exporters seeking a direct link to East Asia markets of China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Cambodia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Philippines.

The study entitled ‘Quantitative Methods of Identifying the Key Nodes in the Illegal Wildlife Trade Network’ said Kenya was highly preferred transit port country by illegal ivory merchants due to its weak criminal justice and indirect public health implications that discourage thorough scrutiny of cargo.

The report, appearing in this week’s journalpnas.org indicated that the researchers applied some methods used in tracking down terrorists, whereby they monitored impounded shipments of ivory and rhino horns as listed in the wildlife trade database.

“We extracted the type of product(s) traded, country of origin product and the actual or intended country of destination of the product,” said Dr Patel.

The report added that there was need to sensitise governments as well as pro-wildlife stakeholders in ensuring that information on various ways to curb ivory and rhino horn trade was optimised.

It also recommended an innovative approach to combat the illegal trade in wildlife noting that China received 96.7 per cent of all ivory sold, Thailand (71.7) whereby Kenya handled 65 per cent of the entire shipments to the two countries, with Hong Kong reporting a 40 per cent stake in the illegal trade.

WEB-CRAWLING SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM

The HealthMap Wildlife Trade database combines official data with informal real-time media stories and reports from the public on illegal wildlife trade seizures in an automated web-crawling surveillance system of the wildlife trade similar to those used for infectious diseases.

At least 40 shipments of ivory passed through Kenya while 16 incidents of ivory seizures abroad are believed to have originated from Kenya.

At the same time, 203 shipments reportedly made a stopover in Kenya.

The report says that 13 shipments were exported through Kenya and another six were reported to have been imported into Kenya, thereby helping raise a red alert on Kenya’s importance as a transit route.

The study called for the implementation of an urgent sensitisation campaign for security agencies, revenue officials as well as other stakeholders so as to make Mombasa a no go zone for ivory and rhino horn sellers.

The study cements a recent exhaustive study by BORNFREEUSA, which accused corrupt networks of making Mombasa the most favoured transit point for tons of ivory.