SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) has developed a monitoring and implementation tool for wildlife conservation in Africa, an AU senior policy official revealed on Thursday.
Leah Wanambwa, a senior official at the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture of the AU Commission, told the ongoing UN Biodiversity Conference that the tool will help countries "harmonize their coordination efforts towards preservation of wildlife in Africa."
The tool is a strategy of coordinated legal actions by AU member states to combat wildlife abuse, illegal exploitation and trade.
"The unfolding phenomena of climate change, depletion of biodiversity, desertification, land degradation and irrational use of finite resources remain serious preoccupation in the African continent, hence the need for the tool," Wanambwa said while addressing a forum on conserving Africa's flora and fauna at the conference.
The new tool will help reduce the level of illegal exploitation and trade that has caused population reduction of some wildlife species such as elephants and rhinos, she said.
The tool has been developed following an endorsement by African leaders of a continental strategy on wildlife in June 2015, she said, adding that AU heads of states and governments adopted earlier this year a theme aimed at intensifying efforts for combating unsustainable use of wildlife.
"The new tool will help promote participatory approach with economic development and community livelihood through sustainable use of fauna and flora, since the continental strategy calls for coordinated actions against illegal exploitation and trade," Wanambwa said.
She emphasized that the AU recognizes the fact that wildlife employs thousands of people in the continent and its economy is promising for making meaningful contributions to the realization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Africa's Agenda 2063.
The AU wildlife management strategy calls on member states to ensure they maintain political commitment, regional and international cooperation, training and capacity development, as well as awareness and advocacy of wildlife.
Wanambwa noted that the AU is committed to making sure that wildlife is well protected, since Africa's fauna and flora is a source of livelihood and socioeconomic development for many countries.
"The loss of African wildlife directly or indirectly affects the livelihood of African people," said the AU senior policy official.
The UN Biodiversity Conference 2018 is held from Nov. 13 to 29 in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh, with the participation of representatives from about 196 states, under the slogan of "investing in biodiversity for people and planet."
