Advocacy & Ongoing Projects
Shaping Policy, Celebrating Historic Victories, and Demanding Corporate Accountability
Discover how we work alongside global experts to strengthen international legal frameworks against wildlife trafficking, protect endangered species, and advocate for environmental transparency.
🏛️ Active Campaign: Sponsoring the UNTOC Protocol Against Wildlife Trafficking
We are actively leading high-level efforts to bolster global laws against the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT). Alongside a coalition of global conservation organizations, we are pushing for Canada to take a definitive leadership role in treating wildlife trafficking as a serious transnational crime.
Our Latest Progress & Global Alignment:
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The Global Foundation: Elephanatics proudly co-signed and continues to back the foundational international framework, Strengthening the International Legal Framework to Tackle IWT, authored by John Scanlon, Chair of the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime. This global initiative outlines the critical need for a dedicated criminal justice framework.
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May 1, 2026 – Appeal to the Prime Minister: In a joint initiative with World Elephant Day and the World Elephant Society, we sent a formal Letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney. We urged the government to build upon Canada’s past conservation milestones by formally sponsoring this additional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC).
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June 2026 – The Decisive Window: We are pushing for Canada to signal its proactive leadership and announce its sponsorship at the 35th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) in Vienna[cite: 1]. This is a critical stepping stone ahead of the UNTOC Conference of the Parties (COP13) in October 2026[cite: 1].
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July 22, 2026 – National Campaign Launch: To engage Canadians and rally public support behind this mandate, our organizations are preparing to launch a major national public awareness campaign on July 22, leading directly into World Elephant Day on August 12, 2026.
International wildlife crime is a $199 billion annual industry[cite: 1]. While trade agreements like CITES are vital for regulating legal trade, a dedicated UNTOC Protocol provides the criminal justice framework—including enhanced law enforcement cooperation and mutual legal assistance—needed to protect global biodiversity goals from illicit exploitation[cite: 1].
🏆 Historic Milestones: The Ivory Free Canada Campaign
Our biggest and most impactful campaign to date achieved a monumental victory for global elephant conservation. For years, Elephanatics, alongside our coalition partners, legal experts, and thousands of passionate citizens, tirelessly advocated for a total shutdown of the domestic ivory market.
Our Historic Success:
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The 2023 Regulatory Amendments: Following years of public mobilization, petitions, and direct political engagement, Canada officially implemented a near-total ban on the domestic trade, import, and export of raw ivory and rhino horn.
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The Impact: This historic change closed critical legal loopholes, ensuring Canada no longer contributes to the global demand that drives elephant poaching. It stands as a powerful testament to what grassroots advocacy can achieve at the highest levels of government.
📂 Conservation Watch Initiatives & Corporate Accountability
We maintain a strict watch on large-scale resource exploitation that threatens fragile wilderness zones and essential water sources. While our direct campaign interventions here are currently paused, our past advocacy stands as an open record of our commitment to corporate accountability.
Environmental Accountability: The Okavango Delta Basin
History proves that exploratory petroleum drilling in delicate wilderness sectors routinely results in severe ecological harm and localized conflict. We previously mobilized to address deep international concerns regarding the Canadian exploratory drilling company, ReconAfrica, and its operations in the transboundary region of Namibia and Botswana.
To protect the irreplaceable wildlife ecosystems, human rights, and essential water security of the Okavango River Basin, we formally petitioned leadership for intervention.
📄 Archived Campaign Correspondence & Media Track:
- Report: Broken Trust: How a Canadian oil driller profits from exploiting Namibian laws and communities – (Jan. 2025)
- Media: Oil drilling threatens the Okavango River Basin, putting water in Namibia and Botswana at risk – (August 2023)
- ReconAfrica Complaint and Fraud Accusations Documentation (August 2023)
- Analysis: Canadian support to ReconAfrica lacks transparency and sufficient regulation (March 2024)