拯救大象不是公益作秀 應倡導人人有責

Seventy-two boxes – that is all that was left of 100 African elephants, killed for their tusks. Confiscated from an office in New York City’s diamond district in 2012, the 72 office boxes were filled with small ivory beads, figurines, charms and toys.

72個箱子——這是100頭非洲大象因爲象牙被獵殺後所留下的一切。這72個文件箱是2012年從紐約鑽石區的一個辦公室沒收的，裏面裝着各種小型象牙製品：珠鏈、小雕像、掛飾以及玩具。

Demand for these trinkets, often from consumers unaware the ivory comes from animals recently and illegally killed, is what drives the mass slaughter of elephants.

對這些小飾品的需求是致使大象被大規模獵殺的因素，而懷有這些需求的消費者，往往意識不到這些象牙是對動物的非法獵殺而得來的。

In a recent interview, a convicted poacher who spent a decade running a gang in Kenya admitted to personally killing more than 70 elephants. “My attacks were so frequent that the elephants could not mate and have calves. There were not enough male bull elephants left,” he said.

在最近一次採訪中，一名被判有罪的偷獵者承認曾親手獵殺70多頭大象。他曾在肯尼亞一個偷獵團伙當了10年的頭目。他表示：“我發動的攻擊如此頻繁，以至於大象們無法交配和產仔。剩下的成年公象數量不足。”

These examples, sad but unfortunately all too common, reveal the international ivory trade at its most brutal. An estimated 35,000 elephants and more than 1,000 rhinos were killed last year alone. At this rate we are on a path towards the extinction of both elephants and rhinos on the African continent.

這些例子令人遺憾，但不幸的是太過常見，它們揭示出國際象牙貿易最野蠻的一面。據估計，僅去年一年就有3.5萬頭大象和1000多頭犀牛被殺。按照這種速度，非洲大陸的大象和犀牛將會滅絕。

This is an ecological and moral disaster. But that is not all. Illegal poaching and trafficking also represent an economic and security challenge in Africa and beyond.

這是一場生態和道德災難。但這還不是一切。非法偷獵和販運還成了非洲乃至世界面臨的一項經濟和安全挑戰。

We have seen al-Shabaab from Somalia, the Janjaweed from Sudan, the Lord’s Resistance Army in east Africa and other armed groups move into illegal wildlife trafficking. It has become a multibillion-dollar business, facilitated by the same sophisticated criminal networks that are dealing in drugs, taking hostages on the open seas, and financing illegal arms sales and terrorist groups.

我們已看到索馬里“青年黨”(Al-Shabaab)、蘇丹牧民武裝部隊(Janjaweed)、東非“上帝抵抗軍”(Lord’s Resistance Army)以及其他武裝組織染指非法的野生動物販運活動。這已成爲一項規模高達數十億美元的業務，依託着從事毒品交易、在公海上劫持人質、爲非法武器銷售和恐怖主義組織提供資金的錯綜複雜的犯罪網絡。

In recent years wildlife trafficking has become more structured, more lucrative and more ruthless than ever before. Poachers now use helicopters, automatic weapons, night-vision goggles and satellite phones to overwhelm and even kill park rangers and other local authorities. More than 1,000 wildlife rangers across the world have been murdered by these groups in the past decade.

最近幾年，野生動物販運已變得比以往任何時候都更有組織，更有利可圖而且更加無情。偷獵者現在會利用直升機、自動武器、夜視鏡和衛星電話，擊敗甚至殺害護林員和其他地方機構的人員。過去10年，全球有1000多名野生動物護林員被這些團伙謀殺。

These criminals are spreading instability, undermining the rule of law and threatening the tourist trade that is the lifeblood of so many African communities.

這些犯罪分子正在傳播動盪，破壞法治並危及旅遊業——旅遊業是非洲很多社區的命脈。

On both sides of the Atlantic, the scourge of wildlife trafficking has been centre stage recently. This month the White House announced a ban on new commercial ivory sales in the US and released a national strategy to address the illegal exploitation of elephants, rhinos and other wildlife. In London, the Duke of Cambridge, the Prince of Wales and the UK government hosted an international conference to address the wildlife trafficking crisis. Delegates from 46 countries and 11 UN organisations signed a declaration promising to improve cross-border co-operation and strengthen laws and policing.

野生動物販運的禍害最近在大西洋兩岸成爲焦點。本月，白宮宣佈在美國禁止新的商業象牙銷售，並推出一項全國戰略，應對大象、犀牛和其他野生動物的非法獵殺。在倫敦，劍橋公爵(Duke of Cambridge)、威爾士王子(Prince of Wales)和英國政府召開了一次國際會議，以應對野生動物販運危機。來自46個國家和11個聯合國(UN)組織的代表簽署了一項宣言，承諾加強跨境合作，強化法律和執法工作。

We strongly endorse a complete ban on ivory sales in the US. The global ban agreed in 1989 was successful in stemming a previous killing spree. Over time, however, exceptions have eviscerated the international ban and illegal ivory is now routinely bought and sold under one or more loopholes, providing cover for illegal traffickers. These need to be closed and sanctions imposed on countries that continue to trade in ivory products.

我們強烈支持在美國全面禁售象牙。1989年達成的一項全球禁令成功遏制了上一波獵殺熱潮。然而，隨着時間的流逝，例外情況嚴重破壞了這條國際禁令，非法象牙買賣如今經常通過一個或更多漏洞進行，這些漏洞爲非法販運者提供着掩護。我們需要彌補這些漏洞，並對那些繼續從事象牙製品貿易的國家實施制裁。

We are proud of the steps the US is taking and encouraged by the declaration made in London. But governments cannot end this crisis alone – private-sector action is needed as well.

我們對美國正在採取的措施感到驕傲，倫敦達成的宣言也鼓舞着我們。但各國政府不可能單靠自身的力量結束這場危機，還需要私營部門的行動。

At the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in September last year we brought together a coalition of African states, conservation organisations and other concerned parties to announce an $80m commitment to action, called the Partnership to Save Africa’s Elephants. Our goal is to “stop the killing, stop the trafficking and stop the demand”. With more than a dozen partners, we are scaling up anti-poaching enforcement at 50 sites; strengthening intelligence networks; imposing tougher penalties for violations; and more.

在去年9月召開的“克林頓全球倡議”(Clinton Global Initiative)年會上，我們召集非洲國家、自然保護組織和其他有關方面，宣佈了一項8000萬美元行動計劃，名爲“拯救非洲大象合作伙伴關係”(Partnership to Save Africa’s Elephants)。我們的目標是“制止獵殺、制止販運和制止需求”。我們正與超過12個合作伙伴一道，在50個地點擴大反偷獵執法的規模；加強情報網絡；對違法行爲實施更嚴厲處罰；以及更多措施。

Ultimately, saving Africa’s elephants depends on consumers everywhere. We need to connect the dots for people between the ivory goods they see in stores and the carcasses of dead elephants half a world away. And as consumers, we should urge companies to help law enforcement authorities disrupt the transfer of tusks, rhino horn and wildlife products on ships, aircraft and trucks. Financial institutions should help to trace illegal transactions, freeze assets and impound ill-gotten gains from illegal trafficking. Retailers need to stop selling ivory products. And businesses need to blow the whistle on government officials and institutions that have been corrupted by this lucrative, illegal trade.

最終而言，拯救非洲大象取決於各國消費者。我們需要幫助人們把他們在商店看到的象牙製品與地球另一端死亡大象的遺骸聯繫在一起。作爲消費者，我們應敦促企業幫助執法部門阻止象牙、犀牛角和野生動物製品通過輪船、飛機和卡車轉移。金融機構應幫助追蹤非法交易、凍結資產，並沒收來自非法販運的非法所得。零售商需要停止銷售象牙製品。企業需要檢舉那些被這種有利可圖的非法貿易腐蝕的政府官員和機構。

Only by working together can we beat this crisis, break the nexus between trafficking and terrorism, and make sure these incredible creatures will roam the earth for generations to come.

只有通過通力合作，我們才能戰勝這場危機、打破販運與恐怖主義之間的軸心，並確保那些令人歎爲觀止的動物能夠一代又一代地在地球上徜徉。