(MENAFN) A sharp rise in environmental crimes across Africa is endangering peace, security, and long-term development, experts cautioned Monday during the 20th African Ministerial Conference on the Environment held in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital.

Kenya’s permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Nairobi and the UN Environment Program, Ababu Namwamba, emphasized the urgent need to eliminate all forms of environmental offenses to steer Africa toward a future of renewal, resilient progress, and stability.

"We want to see action against environmental crimes in Africa to be at the center of our conversation around sustainability, climate action and biodiversity protection," Namwamba stated.

Giovanni Broussard, acting head and Africa coordinator of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s Global Program on Crimes that Affect the Environment, highlighted that Africa has disproportionately suffered from illegal activities targeting natural resources, which pose risks to tourism, cultural heritage, and the resilience of ecosystems.

Over the past twenty years, the continent has faced persistent challenges with the poaching of iconic wildlife such as elephants, rhinos, and pangolins, alongside widespread illegal logging, Broussard reported.

"We also see a lot of smuggling of waste that generally comes from the Western world and then dumped illegally on landfills in parts of Africa," he added, noting that unregulated fishing and extraction of vital minerals further threaten environmental sustainability on the continent.

Fred Boltz, head of the Programming Division at the Global Environment Facility, stressed that strengthening partnerships, innovative funding mechanisms, and active community involvement are essential to revitalize efforts against environmental crimes in Africa and bolster the resilience of both nature and human societies.

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