Victory for Sustainable Use of Elephants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Safari Club

June 14, 2007

The Hague, Netherlands – The commercial sales of elephant ivory stocks will be allowed after a compromise was reached following nearly two weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations at the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).

The 170 nation CITES treaty will also allow sportsmen to ship their elephant ivory hunting trophies from range states. Commercial trade in elephant hair, hide and certain carved ivory items was also approved.

Safari Club International’s chief of delegation, John Monson, said that “the result was recognition of the good management of elephants in southern Africa and the dramatic increase in those populations.”

Rick Parsons, SCI’s Director of Governmental Affairs, added that “the CITES parties have moved a long way in recognizing that the sustainable use of wildlife, including sport hunting, can have substantial benefits for wildlife conservation.”

The day prior to the two-week meeting, the executive body of CITES, the Standing Committee, agreed that the final conditions had been met for the sale of varying amount of ivory in governmental stocks that had been agreed in principle at the CITES meeting in Chile five years earlier. These stocks are held by Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.

As a result of the compromise reached last night, those three countries, plus Zimbabwe, received approval to sell governmental ivory stocks that had accumulated through January 2007. This trade in the “Chile-approved” stocks and the stocks accumulated through January 2007 can be suspended if it is shown that there has been non-compliance with the many conditions attached to the trade, or “in the case of proven detrimental impacts of the trade on other elephant populations.”

The governmental stocks come from elephants that died of natural causes or from elephants taken to protect local communities. The proceeds from these sales must go entirely to elephant conservation and to development of the local communities that live with the elephants.

Once the sale of the “Chile-approved” stocks occurs, there will follow a nine-year period in which no sale of ivory stocks can occur. The Standing Committee was charged with coming up with a “decision-making mechanism for a process of trade in ivory…” by the time the parties have their 16th meeting.

Contact:
Ken Schwartz
Governmental Affairs and Communications Manager
kschwartz@sci-dc.org
(202) 543-8733

CITES OK's Ivory Sale

CITES ok's the sale of Ivory from stockpiles in Africa. I think this is absolutely awesome! The sale has brought about a ton of controversy because the thought was that the sale of Ivory would effect the black market in Ivory trade. Now these stockpiles can flood the market and drive down the prices of illegally traded ivory and the money from the stockpiles will be put into trust funds for wildlife conservation in those areas. Attached is the text from the CITES decision on this matter.

CITES is very important to watch and learn from. If you want to learn about international trade, international hunting issues, check out the CITES website!

Elephants – Conditions for the disposal of ivory stocks and generating resources
for conservation in African elephant range States

Directed to Parties

10.2 (Rev. CoP11)

a) The African elephant range States recognize: i) the threats that stockpiles pose to sustainable legal trade; ii) that stockpiles are a vital economic resource for them; iii) that various funding commitments were made by donor countries and agencies to offset the loss of assets in the interest of unifying these States regarding the inclusion of African elephant populations in Appendix I; iv) the significance of channelling such assets from ivory into improving conservation and community-based conservation and development programmes; v) the failure of donors to fund elephant conservation action plans drawn up by the range States at the urging of donor countries and conservation organizations; and vi) that, at its ninth meeting, the Conference of the Parties directed the Standing Committee to review the issue of stockpiles and to report back at the 10th meeting.

b) Accordingly, the African elephant range States agree that all revenues from any purchase of stockpiles by donor countries and organizations will be deposited in and managed through conservation trust funds, and that: i) such funds shall be managed by Boards of Trustees (such as representatives of Governments, donors, the CITES Secretariat, etc.) set up, as appropriate, in each range State, which would direct the proceeds into enhanced conservation, monitoring, capacity building and local community-based programmes; and ii) these funds must have a positive rather than harmful influence on elephant conservation. c) It is understood that this decision provides for a one-off purchase for non-commercial purposes of government stocks declared by African elephant range States to the CITES Secretariat within the 90-day period before the transfer to Appendix II of certain populations of the African elephant takes effect. The ivory stocks declared should be marked in accordance with the ivory marking system approved by the Conference of the Parties in Resolution Conf. 10.10 (Rev. CoP12). In addition, the source of ivory stocks should be given. The stocks of ivory should be consolidated in a pre-determined number of locations. An independent audit of any declared stocks shall be undertaken under the auspices of TRAFFIC International, in cooperation with the CITES Secretariat. d) The African elephant range States that have not yet been able to register their ivory stocks and develop adequate controls over ivory stocks require priority assistance from donor countries to establish a level of conservation management conducive to the long-term survival of the African elephant. e) The African elephant range States therefore urge that this matter be acted upon urgently since any delays will result in illegal trade and the premature opening of ivory trade in non-proponent range States. f) This mechanism only applies to those range States wishing to dispose of ivory stocks and agreeing to and participating in: i) an international system for reporting and monitoring legal and illegal international trade, through an international database in the CITES Secretariat and TRAFFIC International; and ii) an international system for reporting and monitoring illegal trade and illegal hunting within or between elephant range States, through an international database in the CITES Secretariat, with support from TRAFFIC International and institutions such as the IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group and the Lusaka Agreement.

African States Call for 20-year ban on Ivory

PARIS (AFP) - African states called Tuesday for a 20-year ban on trade in ivory to protect the continent's elephants from poachers and possible extinction in the wild.

Kenya and Mali, which spearheaded the moratorium along with Togo and Ghana, are seeking to have the measure adopted at the June meeting of the 169-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), their representatives said at a meeting in Paris.

Read More Here: African States Call for Ban on Ivory c/0 Yahoo News

Great Post on Conservation in Zamibia

Zambia Ministry of Tourism lobbies USA to allow elephant hunting

Zambia lobbies US over elephant trophy hunting
From BWALYA NONDO, Nevada, USA
The Daily Mail 27 January 2007

Read More here:

http://zambiaconservation.blogspot.com