Over the past week, Richard Benyon has been highlighting the issue of ivory poaching. Last Thursday, Richard jointly hosted a debate on International Wildlife Crime in the House of Commons, whilst this week, Richard joined the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) as the charity crushed hundreds of unwanted items of ivory and tonight he is to attend the London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade.
In the Commons last Thursday, Richard said, “I will never forget the image of President Moi setting fire to Kenya’s stockpile of ivory in 1989. That sent a message around the world that the trade in ivory is wrong, that it is illegal and that it must stop.”
He continued, “The message is that we have to bring an end to this trade. We must not miss the opportunity given by the conference in London.”
Today’s conference, hosted by the UK Government, will bring together global leaders to help eradicate illegal wildlife trade and better protect the world’s most iconic species from threats of extinction.