Your PAC Ivory is about to go on sale....


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June 14, 2007

** CITES UPDATE **

Elephants: Cautious Compromise

After nearly two weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations, the 172-nation CITES treaty has agreed to allow some commercial sales of elephant ivory stocks. In addition, the ability of sportsmen to ship their elephant ivory hunting trophies from range states was assured. Commercial trade in elephant hair, hide and certain carved ivory items was also approved.

These decisions occurred at the 14th meeting of the CITES party nations, which began on June 3 in The Hague in Holland . The meeting will end tomorrow and while it is possible for some results to change in the final moments, it is unlikely that this compromise, which was hammered out literally in the wee hours of Thursday morning, will be changed.

SCI’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.â€

The day prior to the two-week meeting, the CITES executive body, the Standing Committee, agreed that the final conditions had been met for the sale of varying amounts 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 at the 14th meeting of the parties in Holland, those three countries, plus Zimbabwe , got 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.â€

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 9-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.

This was an encouraging report from SCI. I just hope the wildlife departments manage the program correctly to avoid increased poaching. It appears though that the only approved sales are going to be of already stockpiled ivory and not newly harvested tusks.

And when the current stock is depleted the new regulations state that any further commercial sales are banned for 9 years.

The same article from the Animal Welfarist point of view

Victory as ban on ivory trade extended

By Allan Kisia and Reuters

Kenya won in the war to conserve the elephant as the international ban on ivory trade was extended.The ban, first imposed in 1989, will be extended by nine more years after one-off sale of stocks by southern African nations, a UN conference on endangered species agreed.
The 171-nation talks endorsed an overnight compromise by African ministers, after days of disputes on how to halt poaching, while letting local communities benefit from ivory sales in regions where elephant numbers are rising.
"We have reached consensus on the proposal," Mr Greg Leach, an Australian chairing the talks of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) in the Hague, said amid applause from delegates.
The deal will allow one-off sales of government ivory stockpiles by four southern African nations, registered as of January 31, and then bar them from making new proposals to Cites to allow exports of ivory for nine years.
Kenya and Mali had argued for a total ban on ivory exports for up to 20 years to halt poaching. They said 19,000 elephants are poached annually, pushing elephants towards extinction.
But Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa favoured tightly regulated sales, saying elephant numbers were rising.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) director, Mr Julius Kipng’etich, said the deal was "Africa’s finest hour, a proud moment for the continent, its people and the elephant."
"This African solution to an African problem marks a great step forward for wildlife conservation," Cites secretary general, Mr Willem Wijnstekers, said.
"It’s good news for the elephant, good news for the people who live alongside them and good news for regional co-operation in Africa," he added.
Meanwhile, the Government has dared anyone to instigate sport hunting.
The warning came a day after a lobby group vowed to re-introduce sport hunting, arguing that would preserve wildlife.
The lobby, Kenya Wildlife Working Group, said sport hunting would encourage better management, adding that money earned could be ploughed back into conservation.
Wildlife minister, Mr Morris Dzoro, said any sport hunting would not be allowed, adding that those caught would be prosecuted.
"This Government is guided by the rule of law. Any sport hunting will be dealt with ruthlessly and mercilessly," he said.
Dzoro, who had just arrived from the Cites meeting, said he had instructed KWS to be on high alert for any sport hunting.

Well, they sure know how to spin, don't they!