Rwandan president Paul Kagame backs The Independent’s Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign

Leader of east African nation signs up to Giants Club initiative led by The Independent’s charity partner Space For Giants

Evgeny Lebedev with Paul Kagame at a signing ceremony to officially welcome Rwanda to Giants Club (Plaisir Muzogeye)

Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame has endorsed The Independent’s Stop The Illegal Wildlife Trade appeal by joining an international conservation forum led by our campaign’s charity partner, Space for Giants.

President Kagame became the sixth African head of state to join the Giants Club, a forum that brings together African presidents with major business leaders, leading philanthropists, and global influencers to protect some of the continent’s most important natural landscapes that hold populations of large wild animals.

Lord Lebedev, The Independent’s major shareholder, is the patron of both Space for Giants and the Giants Club. He was present in the Rwandan capital Kigali to witness the signing ceremony, which saw Rwanda officially join the initiative.

Following the ceremony, Lord Lebedev said: “It is increasingly clear that the health of the natural world is not separate from the health of humanity. President Kagame has led the way in committing Rwanda to a path of sustainable development. I am proud to work with such a visionary leader on this vital cause.”

Rwanda, famous for its mountain gorillas, has been a global leader in recent years in restoring conservation habitats and has used revenue from wildlife tourism to fund national economic development.

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The country is now increasing its focus on restoring a network of national parks, including Akagera, which hosts the “Big Five” – elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo, and rhino.

Mr Kagame spoke exclusively to The Independent before the ceremony and praised the Giants Club for showing the value of international cooperation on issues of wildlife and landscape protection. The president added that conservation has been at the heart of his government policy due to its natural and economic benefits.

“We need to protect our environment because, if you’re not protecting your environment, you’re not protecting yourself,” he said. “And in the process we learn that in conserving the environment there is no conflict with economic wellbeing. In fact, with preserving the conservation of the environment, you can actually realise economic benefits equal to or better than what you are used to doing.”

Dr Max Graham, chief executive of Space for Giants, who was also present at the ceremony, said: “Rwanda under President Kagame’s leadership has become a beacon for how a country can build conservation into a national economic sector to benefit all.

Evgeny Lebedev and Dr Max Graham with Paul Kagame in Kigali (Plaisir Muzogeye)

“That resonates very strongly with the Giants Club, which promotes best practice in getting things done in conservation that deliver those wide rewards from protecting natural landscapes and their species. We are incredibly proud and excited that President Kagame has joined the Giants Club.”

Mr Kagame joins president Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana, president Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon, president Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, and president Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, who act as joint-leaders of the Giants Club. Botswana’s former president Ian Khama holds the position of president emeritus.

The Independent’s Stop The Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign, in partnership with Space for Giants and the anti-illegal wildlife trade charity Freeland, aims to combat the factors that contribute to poaching, wildlife crime, environmental degradation and the spread of zoonotic diseases like Covid-19.

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In the declaration officially joining the Giants Club, Mr Kagame pledged to continue the country’s work to combat the illegal wildlife trade in Rwanda and its neighbours while also promoting investment in responsible conservation and work to reduce the problem of human-wildlife conflict.