Division 15

Elephant poaching and ivory trafficking continue at alarmingly high levels. Also, the level of rhinoceros poaching and rhino horn trafficking continues to be high, undermining conservation efforts and posing a serious threat to rhinoceros populations. Both the Union and its Member States have provided considerable support to African countries in order to improve wildlife conservation and tackle wildlife trafficking. The Union is committed to continuing to stand by its African partners and to increasing its efforts in that regard, in line with the Council Conclusions concerning the Commission Communication on the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking. The Union recognises the conservation efforts made by certain African range States, but the high levels of poaching and trafficking remain of considerable concern for the Union. The Union’s priority for all CITES CoP 18 agenda items relating to these species should be to support action directly addressing those problems.