Ten African countries: EU fails to protect hippos

Brussels' plan to oppose a complete international ban on trade in hippo products is endangering the species, states a letter signed by countries including Mali, Niger and Senegal.

Ten African countries have accused the EU in documents of endangering the survival of the hippopotamus by failing to support a proposed trade ban.

Illegal hobby hunting is wiping out hippos

Illegal hunting for meat and ivory is believed to have wiped out hippopotamus populations in five African states: Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Liberia and Mauritania. However, Brussels plans to speak out against a ban on global trade in hippo products at the Conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), taking place on 14 November in Panama.

This in turn has prompted “great concern about the future of this species” among 10 states — Benin, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo — which have jointly drafted a letter to the European Commission.

“By openly rejecting our proposal, the EU is jeopardising the chances of the west and central African region, which is home to more than half of the hippo populations, to adequately secure the survival of the species,” the letter of 20 September states. “Hippos have been silently going extinct for 30 years. We must act quickly before it is too late.”

Trophy trade and ivory hunting

Hippopotamus teeth are coveted by ivory hunters and, according to a European Commission report, were among the most frequently seized mammal parts in 2020. Between 2009 and 2018, products from nearly 14’000 hippos were traded or shipped worldwide as hunting trophies, according to the CITES trade database. The hobby hunters and the international trophy trade threaten numerous animal species worldwide.

Despite an estimated global population of 115’000 to 130’000 animals, the total population of these semi-aquatic mammals has declined by 30 to 50% over the past decade.

In 2016, they were classified as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with population trends declining or unknown in approximately two-thirds of range states.

Hippos, the third-largest land mammals after elephants and rhinoceroses, are threatened by hobby hunters, habitat loss and destruction, the climate crisis, and conflicts with expanding human settlements.

Experts warn of further decline

Jan Pluháček and Rebecca Lewison, co-chairs of the IUCN Hippo Specialist Group, stated that hippo populations “are not equally affected by these threats. More pronounced declines have been observed in West and Central African countries, while populations in strongholds in East and Southern Africa have remained stable and in some cases even increased. A new assessment is planned for 2024 or 2025.”

An IUCN analysis for the conference in Panama states that the number of hippos has not declined by more than 50% globally over the past decade, and therefore the species does not meet the biological criteria for listing in Appendix I, which lists species that may not be traded internationally due to the risk of extinction.

EU position contradicts its own precautionary principle

The Commission is currently discussing its final position on this matter with EU member states. Officially, it states that neither the volume of illegal trade nor the decline in hippo populations is sufficient to justify a trade ban.

«The Commission takes its obligations to preserve biodiversity very seriously», said a spokesperson. «The EU has the ambition to shape global efforts to contain and reverse the ongoing decline of biodiversity.»

Twelve non-governmental conservation organizations argue, however, that the EU's position on hippos and other species contradicts its own precautionary principle and biodiversity strategy.

«Many of the Commission's positions reflect a very narrow interpretation of the criteria for inclusion in the CITES listing», states a letter signed by groups such as Humane Society International, Born Free and Pro Wildlife. «The Commission has ignored the precautionary principle by citing limitations in available scientific data as justification for rejecting listing proposals, even where these species would benefit from monitoring to ensure that international trade is legal and non-detrimental.»

Slow-reproducing species such as hippos give birth only every two years, while crocodiles can lay 60 eggs in a single clutch. This leads to an absurd situation in which the current Appendix I rules could one day benefit wildlife that can quickly recover from a population decline, but not those that could be driven to extinction, the letter states. Also in the context of the biodiversity crisis it becomes clear that the protection of slow-reproducing species is of particular urgency.

In September, the European Parliament called on the Commission to adopt a more ambitious position in Panama and to support Appendix I status for hippos and other species.