A workshop aimed at helping raise awareness among Chinese nationals working and living in South Africa about curbing illegal wildlife trade was held on April 12, in Johannesburg, South Africa.   

Around 60 overseas Chinese and Chinese nationals from state-owned and private sectors attended the workshop hosted by the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), in collaboration with the Chinese and South African governments. The workshop focused on the regulations protecting wildlife and support in international efforts to reduce the demand for threatened wildlife products. 

Representatives from China’s State Forestry Administration (SFA), China’s Management Authority for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), together with China Customs, National Forestry Police and TRAFFIC, introduced wildlife protection and management laws in China, CITES regulations and recent smuggling cases. 

China has taken action to curb wildlife poaching and trade. Earlier this year, SFA announced the extension of three bans that include ivory imports and the import of pre-CITES ivory. The bans will last until the end of 2019. 

Last September China and the United States announced a joint commitment to tackle illegal international ivory trade. 

Speakers at the workshop were unanimous in the seriousness of eradicating all forms of illegal wildlife trade. 

Li Nan, a project manager with WWF introduced China’s efforts to support wildlife conservation in Africa under the framework of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and China’s Belt and Road Initiatives. 

Deputy Secretary General of the China International Contractors Association Zhang Xiang emphasized that Chinese companies should take their social and environmental responsibility in Africa seriously and introduce a guide for business practices in Africa. 

Meanwhile Zhang Shanning, the Enforcement Division Chief of China’s Management Authority of CITES, said that wildlife conservation is a cause for all mankind and the overseas Chinese corporates should take their responsibility seriously and comply with CITES and relevant national legislations.   

Zhou Fei, Head of TRAFFIC’s China Office said that the workshop was convened to deliver a simple but firm message to Chinese people here: Do not engage in illegal wildlife trade.  

"So long as the crime and the demand that fuels it don’t end," Zhou said, "the attempts to save Africa’s wildlife will be in vain."

A similar workshop on wildlife protection was held at the same time in Maputo in Mozambique. More than 70 overseas Chinese from state-owned and private sectors participated.  

The Mozambique Branch of China Road and Bridge Corp. and South Africa Branch of Sinohydro Group pledged to "refuse illegal wildlife trade" at the workshops.   

In recent years, approximately 30,000 African Elephants have been poached annually in Central and East Africa. 

South Africa, home to around 80 percent of Africa’s estimated 25,000 rhinos, has seen poaching rise from 13 animals in 2007 to a record of 1,215 in 2014. In Africa, a totalof 1,338 animals were poached in 2015.