They will have easier access to highly profitable ivory and rhino horn for clients in Asia and the Middle East.

But locals will be forced to turn to hunting game simply for meat to survive.

The loss of tourism revenue which is their  lifeblood has forced game reserves to lay off or furlough rangers and maintenance staff.

They’ve been forced to shelve or even abandon projects in East and Southern Africa providing a safe habitat for wildlife and jobs for the local population. 

The lockdown and the fear of contracting COVID 19 has driven away the nearly 70 million tourists who brought nearly R4 trillion to Africa, That 8,5% of the continent’s GDP.

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The gathering comes weeks after refugees besieged the United Nations High Commission For Refugees offices in Cape Town and Pretoria demanding to be moved away from xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

The Global Refugee Forum in Geneva brings together governments, business and relief agencies.

UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi says the burden of housing refugees must be shared more fairly.

The number of refugees  driven out by war in Africa and the Middle East, violent drug lords in Colombia and repressive regimes in Asia are now four times more than the people displaced by the Second World War.

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