South African Airways (SAA) has joined the fight against the illegal trade in wildlife through the Illegal Wildlife Trade module of the IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) Program.
IEnvA is a comprehensive environmental management system that SAA uses to ensure that the airline is as environmentally sustainable as possible. IEnvA is an equivalent of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) but for the environment.
Tim Clyde Smith, Regional General Manager – Asia Pacific said, “South Africa’s wildlife is one of the most treasured natural assets and is a drawcard for tourism to South Africa. As the national carrier, we are doing our part to protect that heritage.”
SAA is being audited during the course of December 2019 to ensure that the correct systems and procedures are in place and that SAA is committed to the fight against the illegal wildlife trade after which SAA will be certified. SAA do this as part of their role in biodiversity economy and demand management to halt illegal wildlife trade while supporting responsible sourced wildlife that sustains local communities.
SAA is also a signatory to the Buckingham Palace Declaration of the United for Wildlife initiative. United for Wildlife works to tackle illegal wildlife trade by bringing together conservation organisations, governments, and global corporations. Led by The Duke of Cambridge and The Royal Foundation, United for Wildlife is working to protect endangered species like elephants, rhinos, tigers, and pangolins so they can share our world with future generations.
The airline will be increasing awareness, training and co-operation with law enforcement and all employees will have the opportunity to get involved and be trained in methods to detect these smugglers and their activities and to report these to the relevant authorities.
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