The UAE Ministry of Environment and Water will commence an educational awareness campaign titled 'Illegal Trading of Ivory' from August 2 to 13, 2015 at the Abu Dhabi International Airport.

The drive will be organised in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Customs and the International Fund For Animal Welfare (IFAW). The campaign aims to educate the travellers about illegal trafficking of ivory and make them aware about the legal requirements of ivory trade. 

The campaign is being held in response to the increasing seizures and confiscation of products, including animals, plants, ivory, leather, wood and sandalwood, among others. It will help the UAE to achieve its goals of providing vital security and protection from diseases and pests while fulfilling its commitment to international conventions. The country has impounded over 474 horns of Ivory, one of the largest amounts of ivory between 2012 and 2013. The Ministry has destroyed in April 2015 more than 10 tons of raw and wrought ivory, which was confiscated over the years as part of the UAE?s efforts to combat illicit trade of endangered wildlife species. 

The Ministry is keen to launch a purposeful awareness campaigns to increase education on biodiversity, including the habitat of indigenous species and protected areas. This comes within the framework of the implementation of the national strategy to raise public environmental awareness and education, which has been certified this year and serve the strategic objective of strengthening the community?s commitment to achieve sustainability and preserve the environment. Throughout the campaign, samples of ivory that were confiscated previously will be displayed to educate travelers about the importance of wildlife and the risks the elephants are facing. In addition, educational leaflets prepared by the Ministry in cooperation with the IFAW will be distributed.

The UAE Ministry of Environment and Water has signed the ?London Declaration? to eliminate illegal traffic of wildlife along with 45 other countries in February 2014. The resolution focuses  on obligations and measures required to take practical steps to put an end to the illegal trade of wild animals, including rhinoceros, tigers and elephants and illicit activities that exceed USD 19 billion annually. This will help the ?London Declaration? in eradicating the demand of wildlife products, strengthening law enforcement, and developing sustainable livelihoods for the affected communities of wildlife crimes.

UAE is committed to fight illegal trafficking of wildlife species. IFAW applauds UAE's initiatives and encourages other Middle East countries to join the UAE in taking a stand against the ivory trade

Source : The National , Gulf News