A&K joins fight against illegal wildlife trade
Global luxury travel leader Abercrombie & Kent is amongst the first to sign the ‘Buenos Aires Declaration’, the Travel & Tourism Declaration on the illegal trade in wildlife launched at the recent Global Summit of The World Travel and Tourism Council in Argentina.
In a much applauded initiative, representatives of the global travel industry have committed to engage in the fight against the illegal trade of wildlife.
As A&K has long known, wildlife tourism is a significant generator of income for communities right around the world, and most importantly in developing countries. The illegal wildlife trade puts at risk not only the planet’s biodiversity, but also the livelihoods of these communities.
At its core, the Buenos Aires declaration is about promoting the benefit of wildlife tourism and ensuring it positively impacts local communities, while creating sustainable livelihoods for those who live and work in these destinations and encouraging investment in infrastructure, communities and people.
As signatories, A&K agrees to the specific tenets of the commitment which include selling only wildlife products that are legal and sustainably sourced and which meet CITES requirements; promoting only responsible wildlife-based tourism; training staff to detect, identify and report suspected illegal trade in wildlife, and educating its travellers.
A&K Australia’s Managing Director, Sujata Raman, praises this important step saying, “As leaders in the travel industry, it is our duty to educate travellers about the threat facing some of the world’s most treasured species – the African elephant, Bengal tiger and the rhino to name a few – and to do everything we can in the fight to end the evil practices that threaten these species.”
“Through our philanthropic arm, Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy, we are currently involved in more than 30 projects around the world dedicated to positively impacting lives and livelihoods in the communities where our guests travel. We’re working with partner communities on conservation, education, health care, and enterprise development initiatives – all designed to make these communities less vulnerable to exploitation and the illegal trade in wildlife.”
