Prince of Wales issues stark warning to anti-poaching conference

The Prince of Wales has warned humanity is “hell bent” on destroying what is left of the planet’s biodiversity as delegates geared up for a major anti-poaching conference.

Charles said the illegal wildlife trade was a multibillion-pound enterprise being run by organised crime which threatened the peace and security and countries.

The heir to the throne also praised the wildlife conservation work of his sons the Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex as they helped launch the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference in London.

Speaking in a pre-recorded video message played to delegates at St James’s Palace, the heir to the throne said: “Learning that more than 50 African elephants are killed for their tusks every day, or that a pangolin is taken from the wild every five minutes, is beyond all belief.”

He went on to say: “The illegal wildlife trade is now very far from being a marginal concern.

“Its value is estimated at more than £15 billion per year, enriching increasingly sophisticated organised crime groups, facilitated by corruption and not infrequently being associated with human rights violations.

“It is directed at species which are all too often just maintaining a toe-hold on an existence made fragile by humanity’s population growth, the incessant depletion of natural capital and, of course, by the increasingly alarming ravages of climate change.

“With the current rate of biodiversity loss now running at one thousand times the natural rate, we appear to have managed to initiate the planet’s sixth great extinction event and still seem utterly hell bent on destroying what little we have left.”

Penny Mordaunt, International Development Secretary, said the two-day conference could be a “game changer”.

Outlining what was at stake, she added: “Entire species are at risk of becoming a footnote in history. Communities abusing their natural resources and their livelihoods, criminal gangs are enriching themselves on the back of misery.”

Ahead of the conference, banks have signed up to a move by William to disrupt the financial side of the illegal wildlife trade – and the Government has announced £3.5 million of UK aid going to help crack down on criminal gangs and flows of dirty money.

William will give the keynote speech when conference delegates meet in earnest in London on Thursday.

Harry has also been a long-term animal conservationist, focusing his efforts in trying to support dwindling rhino populations in Africa.

Their father paid tribute to their efforts: “I can only say here how proud I am of the role my elder son, William, has played as a leader in this area, helping to raise the issue higher up the global agenda, including working with the Chinese government on the introduction of the ivory ban.

“And for more than a decade, my younger son, Harry, has been engaging communities across Africa in order to try and help build a sustainable future for people and wildlife.”

The conference – the fourth to be staged – will see heads of state, minsters and officials from nearly 80 countries, joining forces with NGOs, academics and businesses to try and build on previous efforts to address the underlying issues behind illegal poaching and take steps to tackle the criminal trade.