Page 10 - EIA Report on Tanzanian African Ivory Smuggling 2014 report
P. 10
ABOVE: GOVERNANCE AND Instead, international criminal
Tanzania’s ivory stockpile in syndicates are ruthlessly exploiting
1988, during the previous ENFORCEMENT FAILURES rising corruption and weak governance
wave of poaching. in Tanzania to plunder the country’s
At the root of Tanzania’s elephant unique natural heritage. In 2005,
9 disaster lies a toxic blend of governance Tanzania was ranked 88 out of 158
failures, corruption and criminality. countries on Transparency
Collusion between corrupt officials International’s Corruption Perceptions
and criminal enterprises explains the Index; by 2013 it had fallen to 111 out
unprecedented scale of poaching and of 177 countries.35 An index of Africa
ivory smuggling in the country, and governance based on criteria such as
compromises enforcement efforts so that the rule of law, human rights and
few of the main culprits are prosecuted. sustainable economic opportunities
ranked Tanzania in 15th place in 2014,
The responsibility lies at the highest but it was the only country in the top
levels of the Tanzanian Government. 15 which saw its score fall in the past
When President Jakaya Kikwete five years.36
assumed office in 2005, the country
had about 142,000 elephants. By the Corruption is a key enabling factor at
time he steps down in late 2015, the every stage of the ivory trafficking
population is likely to have plummeted chain: from game rangers who provide
to about 55,000. information on patrol patterns and the
location of elephant herds, to police
Unlike other African countries officers who rent out weapons and
experiencing high levels of poaching, transport ivory, to the Tanzanian
Tanzania is relatively stable and free of Revenue Authority (TRA) officers
conflict. While a host of armed groups which allow shipping containers of
and terrorist organisations are implicated ivory to flow out of the country’s ports.
in elephant poaching and ivory trade
across in Central and West Africa and in At the upper levels, politicians from
Kenya, such threats are largely absent the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM)
in Tanzania.34 party and well-connected business
