Reducing Maritime Trafficking of Wildlife between Africa and Asia

Curb maritime wildlife trafficking between Africa and Asia

The Reducing Maritime Trafficking of Wildlife between Africa and Asia project aims to combat illegal wildlife trafficking by strengthening maritime supply chains and enhancing law enforcement capacities across key transport nodes. The project focuses on implementing innovative strategies - such as capacity building of port staff, public awareness campaigns, forensic analysis, and international guidelines, to disrupt wildlife smuggling routes between Africa and Asia.

The project’s main objectives are to:

• Increase cooperation between ports and other maritime stakeholders
• Increase awareness of port stakeholders about wildlife crime
• Build capacity of law enforcement agencies to detect and intercept illegal wildlife products
• Strengthen cooperation between key African and Asian ports to prevent illegal wildlife trafficking

The project employs a multi-country, integrated approach that spans Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Key collaborating partners are Wildlife Authorities, Revenue Authorities and Port Authorities of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and the Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF).

The project will increase awareness of port stakeholders about wildlife crime and build capacity of law enforcement agencies to detect and intercept illegal wildlife products. It will primarily target two key African exit ports – Mombasa (Kenya) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) – regularly used by traffickers for illegal transportation of poached African wildlife such as ivory, pangolins, and rhino horns to Asia. At the same time, the project will strengthen cooperation between key African and Asian ports to prevent illegal wildlife trafficking.