The UN Environment Program (UNEP) on Tuesday named the Cote d'Ivoire-born international football star, Yaya Toure, as the new goodwill ambassador to champion the fight against wildlife crimes in Africa.

The 28-year-old star currently plays for the Manchester City Football Club and Cote d'Ivoire's national team.

"Am very proud to be African and promise to use my celebrity status to join the fight against wildlife crimes in the continent. The environment is very close to me as an African and will advocate for its protection," Toure said at a ceremony held in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the headquarters of the UNEP.

The African footballer of the year 2011 and 2012 joins the list of globally renowned celebrities who have embraced environmental causes.

Toure is an inspirational figure to millions of African youth owing to his sporting prowess.

"Cote d'Voire's national team is named 'The Elephants' after these magnificent creatures that are so full of power and grace, yet in my country alone, there may be as few as 800 individuals left," Toure said.

"Poaching threatens the very existence of the African elephant and if we do not act now we could be looking at a future in which this iconic species is wiped out," Toure added.

Wildlife crimes have escalated in Africa as organized criminal gangs target elephants ivory and rhino`s horns to sell them in lucrative markets overseas.

According to UN sources, more than 17,000 elephants were killed in 2011 in the African jungles.

"The health of Africa's rich biodiversity including wildlife should concern everyone. As an African icon, Toure is better placed to highlight the continent's challenges including loss of precious heritage including wildlife," UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said.

He holds that the global environmental body depends on celebrities to raise awareness on contemporary challenges including climate change, biodiversity loss, wildlife crimes and pollution.

"We can generate data and voluminous reports but this is not enough to spotlight environmental challenges to a wider audience. The role of celebrities is crucial to raise awareness on numerous threats to natural habitats," Steiner said. Endi

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