I have just received this report from John Jackson of Conservation Force from the CITES meeting.

FYI - Thursday noon, CoP 15, Doha. The polar bear did not come back up so was not uplisted to Appendix I. Both the Tanzania and Zambia elephant downlisting were re-debated but were rejected. The EU abstained as it had in Committee I - 27 votes. The so-called African Coalition of 26 West/Central countries, primarily lead by Kenya, has changed to political balance and was decisive. That coalition has formed to be beneficiaries of the new Elephant Fund and is motivated by their own economic interest under the guise of African unity, southern Africa be dammed. The Antis will claim credit but it is really the divergent economic interest of SADC versus the mismanagers entitled to share in the Fund. Trophy trade was collateral and not determinative or a consideration. The EU sat out, and the African Coalition proved formidable, an unexpected development at least for the next 3 to 6 years. The Coalition position is to give elephant issues a rest for 6 more years and to build the Fund to help those that need it more.

I've no doubt the great unwashed and all the media will hail this as a victory for conservation and the elephants but of course as we all know it's the opposite!

As the song says: when will they ever learn!

Thanks for letting us know though buddy!!

Thanks Steve,

If this issue cannot be brought up again for the next two CITES conventions (the convention is held every three years) you can be sure that the USFWS is going to make it extremely difficult for American hunters to take sport hunted ivory from Tanzania and Zambia, back to the USA. This will have a serious effect on conservation efforts in these two countries as elephant/human conflict increases.

With six years access to the new "Elephant Fund" the anti-utilization forces are going to grow stronger.

I don't think that the hunting community appreciates how serious this matter is, which makes the whole thing even more depressing.

quote:

Originally posted by Zig Mackintosh:
Thanks Steve,

If this issue cannot be brought up again for the next two CITES conventions (the convention is held every three years) you can be sure that the USFWS is going to make it extremely difficult for American hunters to take sport hunted ivory from Tanzania and Zambia, back to the USA. This will have a serious effect on conservation efforts in these two countries as elephant/human conflict increases.

With six years access to the new "Elephant Fund" the anti-utilization forces are going to grow stronger.

I don't think that the hunting community appreciates how serious this matter is, which makes the whole thing even more depressing.

Ain't that the truth..... but I reckon it goes further. No offence whatsoever intended to our American brethren, but I get the impression many of them don't seem to appreciate how much of a threat the USF&WS are to their entire sport.

As I see it, if they're not challenged about their dictatorial attitude, then sooner or later they'll try to stop the import of all sport hunted trophies.

This brave new world in which we live won't be satisfied until they've turned the entire fuckin' world into a giant supermarket car park.

As I have mentioned in another threat I think one of the biggest problems that the hunting industry in Africa faces is the lack of a "Ducks Unlimited" type organization. There are no volunteer hunting organizations in Africa because there would be no point. The hunting client that comes out to Africa pays a lot of money to hunt (in African terms) and then goes home and that is it. (I am speaking generally now as there is a lot of good that is done by various individuals and organizations.)

A Ducks Unlimited volunteer will give his time freely because it is a passion and he knows that he will benefit in the end from increase wetland habitat. This lack of an African hunting pressure group has created a vacuum that has been filled by the Western anti-hunting movement which uses Kenya as it's Trojan Horse.

And so you end up with a situation such as what has just happened at CITES where Western anti-hunter organizations dictate to Africa what is best for Africa, where common sense is drowned in a pool of greed.

And all the while we sit on our internet hunting forums and discuss "how gay do you have to be to hunt in Africa". The sad thing is that a thread like that gets more replies and views than one like this.

You're quite right but I don't see anything changing in the foreseeable future.

Steve

You are right things will probably not change any time soon but it doesn't mean we must give up the fight to get common sense to prevail.

You're also right on that one!

quote:

This brave new world in which we live won't be satisfied until they've turned the entire fuckin' world into a giant supermarket car park.

"...they'd pave paradise and put up a parking lot".
Joni Mitchell

Another line in each verse of the same song was:

"That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

How very true!

I hate to say it but our grandchildren just might never have the opportunity to see the wild places we all so love.

News that relates to this thread:
The director of USFWS passed away suddenly last month.Link
I don't know if they have proposed a replacement yet and how that will affect USFWS approach to CITES.

The Secretaries of Ag and Interior recently dissolved Bush's advisory committee, the "Sporting Conservation Council" and replaced it with the "Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council". According to their press release, the current administration wanted to get more representation from from firearm, archery, and hunting organiztions.Link
I have to admit that while that sounds promising at the most (and non-threatening at the least), I am highly skeptical that this administration has any interest in increasing input from sport hunters, especially when it comes to CITES.
However, the previous administration didn't do much to help either.

As far as American participation in volunteer org's, remember the vast majority of American hunters can see a direct impact of their work, volunteer and otherwise, in their own backyard hunting grounds.
Americans who hunt Africa will be somewhat more reserved in donating time or money when it could be diluted or obscured by much larger factors.
Considering the hard left America has taken recently and the general political winds prevailing world wide, I doubt common sense will prevail any time soon. Hate to sound like a defeatist but I think it is a fair assessment.