http://allafrica.com/stories/201412180998.html


Zimbabwe: Hunting Season Income Goes Down

By Tinashe Nhari



Revenue from this year's hunting season has gone down 10 percent from last year's figure primarily due to the US imposed ban on hunting trophies in April this year. The industry made $69 million in revenue this year, compared to last year before the ban was imposed which suspended the exportation of Zimbabwe's ivory. For this year, revenue had been estimated to reach $75 million, with a 20 -30 decline expected from last year's estimated value of industry which was pegged at $100 million.

Safari Tours Operators of Zimbabwe president Emmanuel Fundira said the suspension was based on anecdotal data and no empirical evidence was provided that elephant populations were on the decline and it has affected the hunting season this year.

"From our side we did all we could to answer questions provide scientific data and attend to production of an Elephant Management Plan for Zimbabwe and carry out surveys which has all vindicated our argument ,what is now left is for the ban to be uplifted," he said.

"During the year scientific data and evidence was forwarded to USA officials aimed at addressing their concerns and in addition Campfire Director Charles Jonga attended to Congress Hearings in July on the same subject."

The suspension caused an outrage amongst hunting personnel in both Tanzania and Zimbabwe with Safari Club International, filing a lawsuit against the Service.

There have been various attempts to get the ban lifted during the course of the year all which have come to no avail despite evidence provided that Zimbabwe's hunting and safari sector was complying with international standards.

He said contrary to what statistics may say the elephant populations in Zimbabwe are growing and they have a robust Management and Quota Setting System.

"Despite this all Safari businesses in Zimbabwe had not been spared by this ban and business this year had been greatly affected," he added.

Zimbabwe's ban is expected to be ended on 31 December this year when the ban will be revised and revaluated for the next year.

Zimbabwe is still facing corruption in the hunting sector despite poor but improving adherence to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) directives.

The Obama admin is helping everyone.........



.

Maybe Obama can organize some ele hunts for us
After all he is a community organizer by trade

Boy, that Obama is some cool pres isn"t he?NOT

The logic of Zim government will likely be to jack up trophy fees to make up for the shortfall thereby accelerating the decline and starting the death spiral. Hopefully, USFWS will pull their collective heads out of their asses and realize the real impact of their bio-political non-sense on wildlife conservation.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30587772


23 December 2014 Last updated at 08:54 ET

Zimbabwe plan to sell elephants from Hwange defended


Campaigners warn that elephants will find it traumatic if they are separated



Zimbabwe has defended plans to sell elephants for up to $40,000 (£26,000) each, saying it needs the money to run its biggest game reserve.

An official said more than 60 elephants could be sold to buyers in China, France and the United Arab Emirates.

Last month, a campaign group condemned the plan as inhumane.

Some groups fear that African elephants could become extinct because of an increase in poaching.

Geoffreys Matipano, conservation director at Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authorities, said the money raised could help meet the $2.3 million annual running costs of the Hwange National Park, Bloomberg news agency reports.

'Stealing natural resources'
"We are pursuing it aggressively as part of conservation efforts because we have plenty of elephants here," he is quoted as saying.

"We don't receive state funding and we rely on selling animals for our day to day operations. We are nowhere near what we want," he added.


The money would also help fight poachers, Mr Matipano said.

Last year 293 elephants were killed by poachers using cyanide poisoning, and this year 139 have been killed, he said.

Mr Matipano said buyers from France were seeking 15 elephants, China 27 and UAE 15. He did not name the buyers.

Last month, the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF) campaign group said it had received "very disturbing reports of animals being captured" in the popular Hwange National Park for export to China.

They included 34 baby elephants, seven lions and about 10 sable antelopes, it said.

"Why is Zimbabwe stealing from the future generation's natural resources? The baby elephants quite likely won't survive the trip and the only crime they have committed is being born in Zimbabwe," the ZCTF said in said in a statement.

"They are now being sentenced to a life of inhuman treatment. This is very traumatic, not only for the baby elephants but also for their families," it added.

http://cites.org/eng/zw_elephants


Trade in live elephants from Zimbabwe - Public statement of the CITES Secretariat

The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has received copies of various news articles, as well as other communications by private individuals and special interest groups, concerning alleged trade in live African elephants from Zimbabwe to destinations in China and the United Arab Emirates.

The Secretariat is issuing this public statement to explain the application of CITES to this trade, and to clarify the relevant procedures.

China, the United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe are all Parties to CITES.

Permits and certificates for international trade under CITES can be issued only by the designated national CITES authorities of the 180 Parties to CITES. (Parties are States - or countries - that have joined the Convention.)

The CITES Secretariat does not issue CITES permits or certificates, and has no authority to directly intervene in any trade transactions.

Parties to CITES are required to report all authorized international trade in specimens of CITES species to the CITES Secretariat on an annual basis. These reports are included in the CITES Trade Database, which is publicly available.

The population of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) of Zimbabwe is included in Appendix II of CITES, following a decision taken in 1997 by the Conference of the Parties to CITES. This means that the Parties to CITES consider the African elephant population in Zimbabwe is not necessarily threatened with extinction but could become so if trade were not strictly regulated.

There is an annotation to the Appendix-II listing of Zimbabwe's African elephant population that specifically allows for "trade in live animals to appropriate and acceptable destinations". The words “appropriate and acceptable destinations” are defined in Resolution Conf. 11.20 of the Conference of the Parties to CITES.

Therefore, international commercial and non-commercial trade in certain specimens of African elephants from Zimbabwe (including live animals) is allowed by the Convention if specified conditions are followed. These conditions are contained in relevant provisions of the Convention, particularly those of Article IV.

In addition to the requirements above, according to Article IV of the Convention, the CITES Management Authority of Zimbabwe may grant a permit to export live elephants only when:

a) it is satisfied that they were obtained in accordance with national law;

b) the CITES Scientific Authority of Zimbabwe has advised that the export will not be detrimental to the survival of the species; and

c) the CITES Management Authority of Zimbabwe is satisfied that any living specimen will be so prepared and shipped as to minimize the risk of injury, damage to health or cruel treatment.

Regarding the first requirement, the verification of the legal origin of the specimens is the responsibility of the Management Authority of the State of export, which must be satisfied that the specimens were not obtained in contravention of the laws of that State.

With respect to the second requirement, an assessment of the sustainability of export of Appendix-II species (known as a non-detriment finding) is conducted by the CITES Scientific Authority of the State of export. Reviews of the sustainability of trade in Appendix-II species are conducted by the relevant CITES scientific committees with the support of the Secretariat.

In relation to the third requirement, it is recommended in Resolution Conf. 10.21 (Rev. CoP16), on Transport of live specimens, that the Live Animals Regulations of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the CITES guidelines for the non-air transport of live wild animals and plants be deemed to meet CITES transport requirements.

The Secretariat has corresponded with the CITES Management Authorities of China, the United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe to ascertain the particular circumstances surrounding the reported trade in live elephants. The Secretariat has also asked whether the procedures set out under Article IV of the Convention and Resolutions Conf. 10.21 (Rev. CoP16) and Conf. 11.20 were followed in relation to any trade.

The CITES Management Authority of China has advised that it has not received any application to import elephants from Zimbabwe.

The CITES Management Authorities of the United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe have advised that they have authorized the export from Zimbabwe to the United Arab Emirates of seven elephants as a family group that has been in captivity in Zimbabwe for more than 10 years. The two Management Authorities advise that the group consists of one calf with its mother and other adults. The Management Authority of Zimbabwe has also advised that before the trade was authorized, a non-detriment finding was made in Zimbabwe. The authorities of both the United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe advise that they conducted an inspection of the private park to which the animals will be sent, to ensure that it is an appropriate and acceptable destination. Copies of the inspection report and of the permits have now been provided to the CITES Secretariat at its request.

Some press articles refer to Mr Hank Jenkins, who is said to be a former official of CITES. Mr Jenkins was an employee of the CITES Management Authority of Australia, and was the Chair of the CITES Animals Committee from 1992 to 2000. He was never an official of the CITES Secretariat and has no association with the Secretariat.

CITES Secretariat

18 December 2014

See also:

Recent trade of elephants from Zimbabwe to China 11 January 2013

Maybe China can start growing their own ivory
It might awhile but growth hormones, steroids and genetic alteration can speed things up

http://allafrica.com/stories/201412240245.html



Zimbabwe: Campfire Still Assessing U.S Wildlife Import Ban




The CAMPFIRE Association is still compiling data to ascertain the effect that the United States Fish and Wildlife Service ban on imports of sport-hunted African elephant trophies from Zimbabwe had on earnings for communities. The US wildlife department in April this year banned the importation of elephant trophies hunted in Tanzania and Zimbabwe citing questionable management practices, a lack of effective law enforcement and weak governance which it alleged had resulted in uncontrolled poaching and catastrophic population declines of the species.

It said anecdotal evidence, such as the widely publicised poisoning last year of 300 elephants in the Hwange National Park, suggested that Zimbabwe's elephants were under siege.

Communal Areas Management Program for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) Association director Charles Jonga said finding other hunters to buy the hunts that the Americans abandoned following the ban had taken some time.

"Hunts were still going on as recently as the past few weeks," he said.

Mr Jonga said compilation of the data could be completed by this week.

Sport hunting involves selective hunting of wild game animals with the adult male of a species the most sought after trophy by wealthy foreign hunters.

Every year, hunters from mostly Western countries flock to Africa to kill prized animals such as lions, elephants, hippos, buffaloes for a trophy.

Usually the hunters take the head in the case of lions, tusks for elephants, and skin for display in their homes or offices.

The hunters pay up to $200 000 for an animal, earning the country large amounts of revenue.

Communities under CAMPFIRE use the revenue from sport hunting to build infrastructure such as schools, clinics, roads and bridges.