14 Jun 2007 The Hague,
The Netherlands – African elephant range
countries attending a meeting of the UN
Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES) have agreed to a nine-year
suspension of ivory trading.
The international wildlife convention also
agreed to allow four southern African countries
to sell stocks of their ivory.
“This consensus is a milestone in elephant
history,” said Dr Susan Lieberman, Director
of WWF Global Species Programme.
“This is the first time in more than 18
years that opposing factions are now speaking
with one voice to move this debate forward."
The suspension will take effect after a
previously approved "one-off"
sale of ivory goes through.
Zambia and Chad presented a compromise
document on behalf of all African countries
with elephant populations, detailing an
increase in the one-off sale of ivory to
include ivory from stockpiles from Botswana,
South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe if registered
by 31 January 2007.
Despite the controversy surrounding “one
off” ivory sales and ivory trade suspensions,
the real and substantive issues, according
to WWF and TRAFFIC are illegal domestic
ivory markets, both in Africa and Asia.
"Unfortunately, time ran out at the
conference to effectively deal with the
critical threat to elephants in the wild
– poaching and illegal domestic ivory markets,”
Dr Lieberman added.
The ETIS (Elephant Trade Information System)
analysis reveals that key problem countries
for illegal ivory are: Democratic Republic
of Congo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Thailand and
China.
“We are looking for real conservation achievement
on the ground," said Tom Milliken,
Director of TRAFFIC in South and East Africa.
"Let countries now take this spirit
of goodwill and tackle the ivory that is
being haemorrhaged illegally from West and
Central Africa.”
Joanna Benn, Communications Manager
WWF Global Species Programme Richard Thomas,
Communications Coordinator
TRAFFIC International
