Policy Tracker: Tougher legal frameworks launched for wildlife protection

From the newsletter

Our quarterly policy analysis reveals a growing trend in Africa toward tougher legal action on biodiversity loss. Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya have introduced new enforcement-driven laws targeting wildlife trafficking, marine ecosystem risks and endangered species recovery. The species targeted are pangolins, elephants, African penguins and pancake tortoises.

• In Nigeria, the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill strengthens wildlife crime enforcement, introduces asset recovery measures and enhances investigative powers to dismantle trafficking networks. Nigeria is a global trafficking hub for pangolin scales and ivory.

• South Africa’s Environmental Management of Offshore Ship-to-Ship Transfers Regulations proposed rules mandate environmental management plans, wildlife monitoring and spill response in areas like Algoa Bay, home to endangered African penguins. Meanwhile, Kenya launched a 10-year The National Recovery and Conservation Action Plan (2025–2035) to halt the extinction of this critically endangered species.

More details

• South Africa’s Environmental Management of Offshore Ship-to-Ship Transfers Regulations now seeks public comment. Signed by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, the draft introduces a risk-based approach to manage the environmental impacts of offshore fuel transfers, including bunkering. The regulations apply under section 83(1) of the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act and build on the initial draft published in February 2025.

• Key proposals include stricter environmental management plans, wildlife monitoring and spill response protocols. Updates to the draft reduce the exclusion zone to three nautical miles, limit operators in Algoa Bay and ban fuel transfers in designated areas during African Penguin breeding season. The plans must be prepared by independent specialists and submitted within ninety days. The Department has called for public input to finalise the regulations, which will be published in a Government Gazette or national newspaper.

• Nigeria’s Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, 2024 passed its third and final reading in the House of Representatives on May 28, 2025, and will now proceed to the Senate for concurrence. The bill aims to strengthen the country’s legal framework against organised wildlife trafficking. It introduces stricter penalties for wildlife crimes and grants investigators expanded authority to trace financial transactions and conduct intelligence-led enforcement operations targeting trafficking networks.

• The bill also proposes faster judicial processes for wildlife cases and allows asset recovery linked to trafficking. The legislation follows years of high-profile seizures of pangolin scales and ivory, which have positioned Nigeria as a source, destination and transit hub in the illegal wildlife trade. If adopted by the Senate and signed by the President, the bill will serve as a key legal instrument for improving wildlife protection and biodiversity conservation in Nigeria.

• Kenya has launched a ten-year National Recovery and Conservation Action Plan (2025–2035) to prevent the extinction of the Pancake Tortoise Malacochersus tornieri, a critically endangered species. The Kenya Wildlife Service announced that the plan targets habitat protection, law enforcement, scientific monitoring and community engagement. Over 95 percent of the global population is found in Kenya, mostly outside protected areas, making the species highly vulnerable to illegal trade and habitat loss.

• The plan outlines restoration of kopje habitats, training of community-based tortoise guardians and creation of county-level monitoring and enforcement units. It was developed through a two-year process involving the Kenya Wildlife Service, National Museums of Kenya, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and international conservation partners. Key counties include Kitui, Embu, Meru and Tharaka-Nithi. Additional goals include public education, stricter anti-trafficking efforts and long-term funding for conservation activities in arid and semi-arid landscapes.

Our take

• Criminalising wildlife trafficking with stronger legal penalties and investigative powers will help identify and punish the networks that fuel biodiversity loss. Wildlife crimes have long been treated as minor offences, but these new policies recognise them as serious threats linked to organised crime, insecurity and corruption. 

• To realise the full impact of these laws, enforcement must be resourced and prioritised across borders. Inter-agency collaboration, financial crime tracking and judiciary reform are essential to make arrests translate into convictions. 

• Ultimately, legal action must be paired with long-term investment in protected areas, community conservation and species recovery plans.