Animals, Environment and Sustainable Development in 21st Century Africa: An Interlinked Approach

Introduction

In Africa, animals are deeply embedded in thelivesand livelihoodsof thecommunities that liveand interact with them. That animals are anessential livelihood support in Africa cannot beoveremphasized,thoughthereappearsadearthofpublished information on how the welfare oftheseanimalsandcommunitiesareconnected.

Interest inanimalwelfareasa concept is rapidlyincreasing in Africa, and the time has come todefineanimalwelfareintermsofdevelopment.Itiswell known that Africa is currently enjoying aperiodofimmensegrowthacrossvarioussectors,notably infrastructure, energy and agriculture(food security). These massive changes andinvestments offer a perfect opportunity toentrench the place of animals and consequentlytheir welfare along the continent’s developmentspectrum.Itisrecognizedthatrapiddevelopmentin Africa, especially regarding infrastructure, hasimplicationsfortheenvironmentandanimals.

Thereisaneedtounderstandhowanimalwelfarerelates to development, considering theimplications these megatrends may have on theenvironment, people and animals. In order tofurther this understanding, the Africa AnimalWelfareConferencewasheldbetween2ndand4thSeptember 2019 at theUnitedNationsEconomicCommission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia. Delegates discussed the direct andindirect role of animals in contributing towardssupporting the aspirations of the Africa UnionAgenda 2063 and the achievement of theSustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs)inAfrica.

The theme of this conference was “Animals,Environment and Sustainable Development in21st Century Africa: An Interlinked Approach”.Within this broad framework, the presentationsanddiscussionsattheconferencewereorganizedaroundeight sub-themes,whichwereas follows:

The linkages between animal welfare and theSDGs the threats of the donkey-skin trade toanimal welfare across Africa; the implications ofclimatechange,technology,researchandtrainingon theachievementof SDGs; the threatposedbywildlife poaching and the bushmeat trade; theinitiatives and opportunities presented byregional/inter-governmental organizations; theattainmentofgoodhealthandwellbeing throughimproved animal and public health systems; theroleoftheUNEnvironmentProgram(UNEP)andtheplaceofcivilsocietyintheUN;andstrategiesforimprovingthegovernanceandfundingofcivilsocietyorganizationsforgreaterimpact.

AnimalWelfare&SDGS

In the presentations it emerged that animalwelfare impacts all seventeen SDGs at differentlevels.TheselinkagesbetweenanimalwelfareandSDGsaresuchthatwhereasfewofSDGsexplicitlyreference animals, ecosystems, or the naturalworld, many benefit from animal welfare andwildlife conservation. As such, the considerationof animals and their welfare is a valuableinstrument to improve the long-term success,sustainability and attainment of the SDGs andimprove the lives of people and animals in aholisticmanner.

Policyrecommendations

InrecognitionoftheselinkagesandthepotentialforanimalwelfaretocontributetotheattainmentofSDGs,itwasrecommended:

• Undertake a continuous monitoring ofevidence of contribution of good animalwelfare, collation of this evidence into acompelling scientific rationale, and thenpackagingthemessageintonarrativesthatcan easily be taken up and utilized fordecisionmakingthroughoutthevaluechainofhuman–animalinteractions.

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PolicyBrief

• Build a bottom-up country-ledimplementationofanimalwellbeingwithindevelopmentprojects.

DonkeySlaughterandSkinTrade

There is strong evidence that shows that thesocio-economic value of donkeys far outweighsthevalueandreturnsfromthedonkeyskintrade.Further to this, the entire trade and slaughter ofdonkeys has been demonstrated to pose seriousanimal welfare concerns especially in handling,transportation and the slaughter process. Themovement of donkeys across boarders and poorhandling of waste is a factor in diseasetransmission including zoonotic diseases fromanimal to humans hence impacting both humanandenvironmentalhealth.Keyexamplesincludeddonkeyslaughterandcarcassesofdonkeyinbush,aborteddonkey fetus andpoorwastedisposal attheslaughterhouse.

Despitethis,somegovernmentshavelegalizedtheslaughterofdonkeysandtheexportoftheirskins(and meat) to meet demand in China. Thelegalization of donkey slaughter by somecountries poses an immediate threat to donkeypopulationsgiventhattherateofslaughterbyfarexceeds the natural reproduction rate. Thelicensingofdonkeyabattoirs coupledwith illegalslaughterhasalsoresultedinanincreaseintheftof donkeys from families that most need them,thereby pushing these families deeper intopoverty.

Policyrecommendation

Toaddresstheseconcerns,itwasrecommendedthat:

• Thereisaneedformorestringentregulationofinternationaltradeindonkeyskinsandmeatforthwith,asthiscontributestoseriousviolationsofanimalwelfarefordonkeysanddetrimentalsocio-economicimpacts.

ClimateChange,Technology,Research&Training

Space-based technology offers a chance toimprove animal welfare across the continent.There isalsoanopportunity tominimize theuseofanimalsineducationalprogramswhichexposesthousands of animals to harmful practices.Training on animal welfare across severaldisciplines, especially in agricultural and animal

courses, can also help raise awareness whileestablishinganewbreedofprofessionalswhoaremoreconsciousofanimalwelfare.

The global climate emergency, exacerbated byhuman activities, is observed to increase thesuffering of animals, at the cost of humandevelopment and environmental protection.There is also an acknowledged relationshipbetween industrial agriculture and deforestationandbiodiversityloss.

Policyrecommendations

Inrecognitionofthesechallengesandopportunities,itwasrecommendedthat:

• All stakeholders at international,government, private, community andindividual levels strive to find effectivemeans and innovations to prevent andadapt to climate change, so as tomitigateagainst or reduce untold suffering onanimals, people and their environment inAfrica.

• Reform education policy to incorporateanimal welfare as a cross-cutting issue inthe development of a humane society andenvironmentalprotection,

• Incorporation of forestry in all discussionsand interventions on wildlife conservationandanimalwelfare.

• Adoptwaysofreducingsufferingofanimalswhicharesubjectedtoinhumaneconditionsand circumstances used in development oftechnology, research, knowledgeadvancements and industrialization inAfrica.

EngagementwithUNEnvironment

There was initial cynicism over the place ofanimal welfare within the United NationsEnvironment Program but this has since beenovershadowed by rising recognition of thesignificanceofanimalwelfaretotheagendaoftheUN. As such, the UN Environment Program andthe bi-annual UN Environment Assembly nowprovide an ideal platform for the civil society togettheattentionofUNMemberStatestoaddressanimalwelfare issues.Whereasanumberof civilsociety organizations are already engaging withUNEA, ithasbeennoted thatquiteanumberareonlyactive in theperiodof theAssemblyas theydo not take part in setting the agenda for theassembly, nor in follow up to ensure resolutions

passed at the assembly are implemented in theircountries.

Policyrecommendation

TomaximizeontheopportunitiespresentedbothbyUNEPandUNEA,itwasrecommendedthat:

• CivilsocietiestotablearesolutiontoUNEAthroughamemberstatethatrecognizesandaffirmsthecontributionand

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• significance of the welfare of animals toenvironmental protection, social justice andsustainabledevelopmentofsociety.

Bushmeat&Anti-Poaching

IllegalhuntingofwildlifeforbushmeatisprevalentinmanycountriesacrossAfrica.Mostofthehuntingmethodsusedarecruel, inhumaneanddestructive.The demand for illegal bushmeat spreads acrossboundariesofcountriesandevencontinentsandisdriven by similar factors to other types oftransboundary crimes. Bush meat was linked tocompromising the achievement of SDGs especiallyone,eightandseventeen.

The most common types of destruction frombushmeat hunting is extinction of species,destruction of invaluable ecosystems andlivelihoods - increases poverty - and risk to publichealth.

Policyrecommendations

Toaddresstheseconcerns,itwasrecommendedto:

• Support the enforcement mechanisms forCITES, Convention on the Conservation onMigratory Species (CMS) and RamsarConvention.

• Encourage an inclusive multi-sectorialapproach in addressing illegal huntingincludinglocalcommunities.

• Undertake comprehensive research onpoachingandtheillegalbushmeattrade.

EngagementwithOIE,AU-IBAR

African intergovernmental organizations such asOIE,AUandIGADareattheforefrontinpushingforanimal welfare on the continent. For instance, theAfrica Union Inter-African Bureau for AnimalResources (AU-IBAR) spearheaded efforts to

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develop theAnimalWelfare Strategy forAfricaas a way of consolidating synergy towardsbetter Animal Welfare in Africa. Governmentsand Civil society in Africa are currently atvarious stages of domesticating theimplementationof theAnimalWelfareStrategyfor Africa, coordinated through the AfricaPlatform for AnimalWelfare (APAW). There isroom to speed up and enhance the impact oftheirwork.

Policyrecommendations

In order to tap into the potential presented bytheseorganizations,itwasrecommendedthat:

• Governmentssupporttheimplementationof theAWSAandtheworkofAPAW,andmainstreamanimalwelfarenationally.

• The resolutions of the conference to besharedwithAU-IBARfortransmissiontothememberstates.

AttainmentofGoodHealth&Well-BeingThroughImprovedAnimal&PublicHealth

Systems

Factory farming poses numerous animalwelfare, environmental and health challenges.Routine practices include extreme crowding,mutilations and production pressures thatthreaten animals’ health and welfare. Farmsfacing disease outbreaks across the continentare using ineffective and cruelmethods to cullaffected or infected animals. There is needs tobe strong measures to deal with our brokenfood and farming system, including aninternational policy agreement, standards andlegislation.

Policyrecommendations

Inlightofthesechallenges,itwasrecommendedto:

• Lobby governments for the enactmentand enforcement of animal welfarestandards and the adoption ofinternational polices and standards onfactoryfarming.

• Work towards a global agreement onregenerative agriculture, which is aconservationandrehabilitationapproachtofoodandfarmingsystems.

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Disclaimer This publication is an output of The Africa Animal Welfare Conference. The views expressed in this policy do not necessarily reflect the official position of the organizers or sponsors