WASHINGTON, DC — BBC World presents "The Ivory Poaching Wars," an Earth Report documentary that tracks illegally poached elephant ivory on its journey from Africa to Japan and the United States, with the help of an African enforcement agency and DNA analysts from the United States.

Treaties such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) have been introduced over the years to protect wildlife against illegal poaching, but the elephant ivory trade remains a very lucrative one and has grown in recent years. In 1996, a group of African countries came together to draft and implement the Lusaka Agreement. The Agreement's current membership comprises the Republics of Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and the Kingdom of Lesotho. Its enforcement division, the "Lusaka Agreement Task Force," focuses on curtailing illegal wildlife and flora trade with the support of other law enforcement agencies, which often means cracking down on ivory poachers and traffickers.

Although wildlife traffickers can be elusive, slipping through loopholes in laws and diverting trade through countries with lax ivory enforcement, they now face a new challenge. Advances in technology have given investigators new techniques to use, particularly in the case of ivory. The film explores how DNA analysis of ivory can be used to trace the contraband being sold in various parts of the world back to its origin, increasing officials' chances of apprehending the guilty parties.

"This documentary underlines the critical role that enforcement plays in protecting the wildlife populations that are being destroyed by poaching and illegal trade," said Durwood Zaelke, Director of the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement. "Unfortunately, laws do not work without enforcement, and enforcement organizations such as the Lusaka Agreement Task Force are essential for protecting these endangered animals."

"The Ivory Poaching Wars" was shot on location in Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, Japan, and the United States.

Earth Report is produced by the Television Trust for the Environment and is BBC World's premier environmental series viewed by millions worldwide. "The Ivory Poaching Wars" was produced and directed by filmmaker Douglas Varchol and sponsored in part by the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE) and the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD).

The film will be broadcast on BBC World Friday, 8 February at 20:30, with repeats at 10:30 on Monday, 11 Feb., 15:30 on Tuesday, 12 Feb., and 02:30 and 08:30 on Wednesday, 13 Feb. (all times in UK time zone, GMT). Please check your BBC World station for local screenings.

The International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE) is one of the major programs of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD). INECE links the environmental compliance and enforcement efforts of more than 4,000 practitioners - inspectors, prosecutors, regulators, parliamentarians, judges, and NGOs - from 150 countries, through training and capacity building programs, awareness raising programs, and by enhancing enforcement cooperation. To learn more about INECE, please visit http://inece.org/.

Contact Info:

Alexandra Viets
IGSD/INECE Secretariat
Tel : 213-321-0911
E-mail : aviets@inece.org

Website : The International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement