‘Living On The Edge’ Africa’s Human-Wildlife Crisis

‘Living On The Edge’ Africa’s Human-Wildlife Crisis

Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation

4 May 2021

Opening Remarks by John E Scanlon AO

Full recording of Panel Discussion available here

Good afternoon and on behalf of the EPI Foundation I extend a very warm welcome to everyone who has joined us for today’s special event on human-wildlife conflict. I’m John Scanlon, and I am the CEO of the Foundation and I’m going to spend a few minutes briefly outlining what we have planned for you today.

Colleagues, as human populations grow and habitats shrink, human-wildlife conflict is increasing. People and wildlife are competing for space, and this competition is acutely felt when it comes to sharing space with elephants. Newspapers are reporting on conflicts between elephants and humans on an almost daily basis, with people being tragically injured or losing their lives, crops being destroyed, and animals being killed. If we can’t find ways to satisfactorily resolve these conflicts, the long term prospects for elephants are bleak, along with all of the benefits they can provide to people, both locally and globally.

Governments, conservationists and local communities are experimenting with various solutions, and the EPI Foundation is helping member countries share knowledge, experience and technologies on how to prevent and mitigate human-elephant conflict and to achieve harmonious coexistence. We offer a platform through which countries can support each other in finding enduring solutions

Today, we will share a film on the subject with you, after which we will hear from some of the world’s most experienced and knowledgeable people on the subject, people who have had to deal with these challenges personally, and in many ways, be it politically, financially or technically.

We are deeply honoured to be joined today by two extraordinary Ministers who not only make a massive contribution within their own countries, but who are also extremely active and highly influential in the international sphere, be it on biodiversity, climate change or tourism, namely Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala of Kenya and Professor Lee White of Gabon.

We will also hear from two deeply committed and passionate experts on the subject, Greta F lori, who leads our work on human-elephant conflict and has special expertise in the Horn of Africa, and Grant Burden, who is our special adviser and who you will see featured in the film.

After a series of short presentations, we will have time for your questions, which can be directed to any of our speakers, and I encourage you to use the Q&A box to submit questions.

And we are delighted that our panel will be moderated by one of Africa’s leading wildlife conservationists, our own Dr Winnie Kiiru.

But before we hear from our panellists we will play the documentary, Living on the Edge, an extraordinary and deeply impactful film, that graphically shows the challenges confronting local people, government authorities and conservationists in dealing with human-wildlife conflict, as well as offering solutions and a way forward. We are deeply grateful to Black Bean Productions for letting us share this film with you today, and to the Grumeti Fund, which enabled its production.

So, colleagues, without further ado, we will now play to the film, which will run for 25 minutes, after which we will move straight to Winnie and our moderated panel discussion.

Thank you. 

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Recording of special event