Qatar Airways named as Official Airline Partner for United for Wildlife

Qatar Airways has been named as the Official Airline Partner of United for Wildlife (UfW), an initiative founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales in 2014 that seeks to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and protect endangered species.

As part of what Qatar Airways describes as its “unwavering commitment to wildlife conservation”, the Doha-headquartered carrier will work with UfW on their shared mission to fight the illegal wildlife trade.

Qatar Airways Group chief executive Badr Mohammed Al-Meer remarked: “The illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade threatens our global biodiversity, and poses a risk to health and safety, particularly in marginalised communities.

“We are taking measures to disrupt this illicit trade in order to conserve biodiversity and safeguard our delicate ecosystems.

“As the Official Airline Partner, we believe that this ground-breaking partnership with United for Wildlife demonstrates our commitment to the Buckingham Palace Declaration and represents another important step in our commitment protecting wildlife.”

The Buckingham Palace Declaration commits its signatories to taking real steps to shut down the routes exploited by traffickers of products in the illegal wildlife trade. The declaration also looks to remove vulnerabilities in shipping and customs procedures to tackle the criminals currently exploiting them.

Al-Meer continued: “United for Wildlife has brought together various businesses in a unique collaborative approach that share the same mission as ours.

“We remain committed to collaborating with our stakeholders to raise awareness of the impact on the illegal animal trade, working tirelessly to deliver Qatar Airways Cargo – WeQare Rewild the Planet initiative to protect our planet’s most vulnerable species.”

Amanda Berry, chief executive of The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, added: “As a founding member of our Transport Taskforce in 2016, Qatar Airways has a longstanding partnership with United for Wildlife and has consistently demonstrated commitment to tackling the illegal wildlife trade around the world.

“They were the first airline to complete the IATA IEnvA IWT certification and have implemented several initiatives to help prevent wildlife trafficking through their network,” she pointed out.

IATA’s IEnvA programme is designed to help air transport industry stakeholders move toward greater environmental sustainability. Qatar Airways has also been deemed as operating in compatibility with an approved Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Assessment Manual.

Berry also pointed out: “Qatar Airways’ enhanced level of support in their capacity as the Official Airline Partner is another example of their dedication to eradicating this harmful trade and preserving biodiversity for future generations.”

Rewild the Planet

Qatar Airways Cargo launched its WeQare Rewild the Planet corporate sustainability initiative in 2020.

As a part of the initiative, Qatar Airways Cargo is encouraging the preservation of ecological balance by providing free transportation services to organisations involved in returning wild animals to their natural habitat.

Qatar Airways has procedures, staff training and reporting protocols that facilitate better detection of illegal wildlife products. It maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards the transportation of illegal wildlife and products.