Convention rejects proposal to legalise the trade of ivory

OPPONENTS of the legalisation of ivory trade claimed victory yesterday as a Johannesburg conference rejected a proposal by Zimbabwe and Namibia to create a mechanism that would have made it easier for them to seek permission to trade in ivory.

“This was the most important issue concerning elephants” at the 17th meeting of the Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (Cites), said Jason Bell from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw).

The two-week conference, which is bringing together about 2 500 delegates from more than 180 countries, will consider changes to the trade controls on about 500 animal and plant species in an attempt to combat illegal trade and to improve the sustainability of legal trade.

International trade in ivory had been banned since 1990, but Zimbabwe and Namibia were now seeking permission to sell their ivory stockpiles.

They argued that their elephant herds were thriving and that proceeds from the sales would allow them to raise funds to combat poaching. Conservationists believe that such legal sales would fuel illegal ivory trade.

The countries had proposed the creation of a decision-making mechanism from which Cites countries could have sought permission to sell ivory, instead of seeking it from the organisation’s plenary meeting taking place only every three years.

The proposal was rejected by a Cites committee and it could no longer be reintroduced, Bell said.

The decision came amid reports that Africa’s elephant populations had declined dramatically since a new surge in poaching.

The continent’s elephant population dropped by 111 000 to 415 000 animals since 2006, the International Union for Conservation of Nature said in a report.

The US and 29 African countries were meanwhile pushing for a largescale closure of domestic ivory markets, which were not covered by the international trade ban.

“Domestic ivory trade often acts as a loophole” for international ivory smugglers using it as a laundering mechanism, said Satyen Sinha, a consultant for Ifaw.

The EU, however, wanted to continue allowing the trade of ivory antiquities within its internal market.

“We agree that the domestic market should be looked at, but only if it has a link with international trade,” said Gael de Rotalier, the team leader for the EU at the Cites conference.

A ban on domestic ivory trade was also opposed by some eastern and southern African countries with relatively large elephant populations, spearheaded by Namibia. – dpa