In his first speech since King Charles III gave him his new title last month, the Prince of Wales said the illegal wildlife trade can be defeated after a man was jailed for conspiring to traffic millions of dollars' worth of rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory.
Prince William called US district judge Gregory H Woods's sentencing of Moazu Kromah to more than five years in prison a “significant victory”.
Kromah was convicted of conspiring to traffic rhino horns and elephant ivory in a crime that involved the deaths of about 135 animals.
In July, Prince William paid tribute to the “committed and brave” ranger Anton Mzimba who was reportedly shot and killed outside his home in South Africa.
The prince called for those responsible for the conservationist's death to be “swiftly brought to justice”.
“There's a front line and that's the worrying thing,” the prince said. “There's a war going on and everyone doesn't really see it.”
Prince William added that the most recent statistic he had heard was that, in the past 10 years, more than 1,000 rangers have been killed in Africa protecting local wildlife and communities.
“It's terrifying,” he said. “It really is.”
Before his speech, he met Altin Gysman of the Southern African Wildlife College, who was a friend and colleague of Mzimba. The prince called Mzimba's death a “shocking moment” and praised rangers for their work protecting endangered animals.
The heir to the British throne was speaking at the United for Wildlife global conference at the Science Museum in London.
United for Wildlife was created by Prince William and The Royal Foundation charity in 2014 to protect endangered species from the illegal wildlife trade.
Its stated mission is “to foster cross-sector collaboration to make it impossible for traffickers to transport, finance or profit from illegal wildlife products”.
The prince has long campaigned against the illegal wildlife trade, previously calling for a commitment to end the “abhorrent crime”.
This week's conference is being hosted by Royal Foundation chairman Lord Hague and will bring together more than 300 global leaders from law enforcement agencies, conservation organisations and private sector companies that are part of United for Wildlife.
The event will include speakers announcing policies and unveiling partnerships in a bid to end the illegal wildlife trade, which is worth up to $20 billion per year and is associated with violent crime, corruption and other forms of trafficking.
Prince William through the years — in pictures
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1982: A 6-month old Prince William with his mother Princess Diana at Kensington Palace in London. Prince William is celebrating his 40th birthday in 2022. Here 'The National' looks back at each of the years of his life. AP Photo -
1983: Prince Charles and Princess Diana with their son Prince William. Getty Images -
1984: Prince William leaves the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London holding the hand of his nanny Barbara Barnes, having visiting his mother Princess Diana, after the birth of his brother Prince Harry. Getty Images -
1985: Prince Charles and Prince William on the royal yacht 'Britannia' during a visit to Venice, Italy. Getty Images -
1986: Prince William wearing the uniform of the Parachute Regiment of the British Army in the garden of Highgrove House in Doughton, Gloucestershire. Getty Images -
1987: Prince William holding the hand of Princess Diana on his arrival for the first day at his new school, Wetherby School, in London. AP Photo -
1988: Prince William with Princess Diana at Guards Polo Club. Getty Images -
1989: Prince Charles and Princess Diana and their sons, Princes William and Harry begin a cycle ride around the island of Tresco, one of the Scilly Isles. AP Photo -
1990: Princess Diana and Prince William during a holiday on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. Getty Images -
1991: Prince William shakes hands with royal fans during a visit to St. James Cathedral in Toronto, Canada. AP Photo -
1992: Prince William go-karting at Buckmore Park 'Playscape' in Chatham, England. Getty Images -
1993: Princess Diana with Prince William and Prince Harry passing the Hotel Arlberg during an afternoon carriage ride, on a ski holiday in Lech, Austria. Getty Images -
1994: Prince William and Princess Diana applaud the Wimbledon Ladies' Tennis Championship presentations after the final. AP Photo -
1995: Prince William attends his first day at Eton College, with Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Prince Charles. Getty Images -
1996: Prince William smiling outside Clarence House on his great grandmother's birthday. Getty Images -
1997: Prince William walks with head bowed behind the coffin of his mother Princess Diana, on its way to London's Westminster Abbey for her funeral ceremony. AP Photo -
1998: Prince William and Prince Charles meet the public after the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham. Getty Images -
1999: Prince William gets out of his new Ford Focus car while learning to drive at Highgrove, Gloucestershire. Getty Images -
2000: Prince William carries a log used to construct walkways to link buildings during his Raleigh International expedition in the village of Tortel, Southern Chile. Getty Images -
2001: Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Charles appear with the Queen Mother during celebrations to mark her 101st birthday in London. Getty Images -
2002: Prince Charles and his sons William and Harry in the Swiss village of Klosters at the start of his annual skiing holiday in the Alps. Getty Images -
2003: Prince William poses on the pier at St Andrews, where he attended university, in Scotland. Getty Images -
2004: Prince William participates in the annual Army v Navy match for the Rundle Cup at Tidworth Polo Club in Wiltshire. Getty Images -
2005: Prince William, second left back row, poses with the royal family at Windsor Castle after Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall's wedding ceremony. Getty Images -
2006: Prince William smiles at the passing-out Sovereign's Parade at Sandhurst Military Academy. Getty Images -
2007: Prince William and Prince Harry celebrate a try that was to be disallowed during the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final between England and South Africa in Saint-Denis, France. Getty Images -
2008: Prince William walks across the airfield at RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire. AP Photo -
2009: Prince William is shown how to extract DNA from a mosquito by Dr Yvonne Linton, on a visit to open the Darwin Centre at the Natural History Museum, London. Getty Images -
2010: Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton pose for the media at St. James's Palace in London after they announced their engagement. AP Photo -
2011: Prince William exchanges rings with his bride Kate Middleton at their wedding in Westminster Abbey, London. Getty Images -
2012: Prince William and his wife Kate celebrate at the Velodrome during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Getty Images -
2013: The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William depart the Lindo Wing with their newborn son Prince George at St Mary's Hospital in London. Getty Images -
2014: Prince William and Kate meet a koala at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were on a three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand. Getty Images -
2015: Prince William and Kate arrive with their son Prince George for the christening of their daughter Princess Charlotte at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate. Getty Images -
2016: Prince William alongside Queen Elizabeth on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour, this year marking the Queen's 90th birthday. Getty Images -
2017: Prince William and Prince Harry during a visit to The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace. The garden had been transformed into a White Garden dedicated to the memory of Princess Diana. Getty Images -
2018: Prince William looks on as Meghan Markle sits in George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, for her wedding to Prince Harry. Getty Images -
2019: Prince William and Kate visit a settlement of the Kalash people, to learn more about their culture and unique heritage, in Chitral, Pakistan. Getty Images -
2020: Prince William and his wife Kate at the Shire Hall Care Home in Wales, where they spoke to some of the home's staff, residents and their family members during the coronavirus pandemic. Getty Images -
2021: Prince William and Prince Harry unveil a statue they commissioned of their mother Princess Diana, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, on what would have been her 60th birthday. Getty Images -
2022: Prince William onstage during the Platinum Party at the Palace in front of Buckingham Palace, during the jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II. Getty Images
