Press Release: New EU support to reduce illegal killing of elephants and other endangered species in developing countries

On 3 December 2013, the European Union decided to support a programme that will improve the protection of elephants, great apes and rhinos in Africa as well as other species such as marine turtles in the Caribbean and the Pacific. It will strengthen the monitoring of animal populations and poaching, help to improve law enforcement in the fight against illegal killings through training and operational support and establish an emergency response system for sudden increases in illegal killing and trade.

The new “MIKES” project will improve the system of monitoring biodiversity and threats to it and extend coverage from elephants to other rare species. In order to fight illegal killing, it will, among other things, provide law enforcement training, technical support for setting up patrol systems, and concrete operational support where required.