Ivory Wars Update: Ivory Trade Proposals Rescinded, For Now
April 20, 2000
The four southern African nations which asked for approval from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to resume selling their ivory stockpiles on the global market have withdrawn their proposals.
Tusks such as the ones on thid bull African elephant are very rare since most elephants do not survive beyond the age of 30(Courtesy: WWF-Canon/Mati Harvey.)
South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana -- four countries with healthy elephant populations -- had asked CITES that they be allowed to resume their trade in ivory, guaranteeing that money from the sales will be used to ensure continued elephant conservation efforts in their countries. The proposals were to be considered by the 150 member nations at the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES April 10-20 in Nairobi, Kenya. The countries encountered strong resistance from environmental and science groups around the world, as well as nations with endangered elephant populations, who feared that there would be a resurgence of elephant poaching. Kenya and India, in particular, united to form the strongest resistance and lobbying effort against the proposals.
According to Dr. Steve Osofsky, senior program officer for species conservation of the World Wildlife Fund - US, agreements were made that gave both the Kenyan and southern African parties a little bit of what they each wanted. While neither South Africa, Namibia, Botswana nor Zimbabwe can trade in ivory, they may conduct trade in other parts including hides, as well as hunting trophies for non-commercial purposes, and trade in live animals to appropriate and acceptable destinations. This is a result of the African elephant being "down listed" from Appendix I to Appendix II of the CITES treaty in the four southern African countries only. An Appendix II listing means that a species is deemed biologically secure enough that some trade involving those species may take place under CITES-specified conditions. The African elephant retains its Appendix I listing in all other countries (populations). CITES does not allow any trade involving Appendix I (endangered) species except with rare exceptions.
When asked if South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe would again try to gain CITESÃ approval to resume their trade in ivory, Dr. Osofsky firmly replied, "You can bet on it." In fact, in withdrawing their proposals, the four nations reaffirmed their commitment to the concept of "wise use of their natural resources," and said they will seek permission to resume their trade in ivory when the CITES parties meet again in two years.
The key to resuming legal trade in ivory involving healthy elephant herds is being able to ensure that other elephant populations can be sustained at a healthy level. But, according to Dr. Osofsky, that would be an impossible task without the existence of effective monitoring and enforcement systems. "The conservation community may be in for a rude awakening," he says. "How much better the monitoring systems will be in two years is hard to answer, but there will be a lot of hard work to do between now and then" when CITES will once again consider the southern African nationsà proposals.
This herd is located in Botswana's Chobe National Park where tourism thrives as a result of the country's healthy elephant populations. Botswana wants to sell their ivory stockpiles, guaranteeing that elephant conservation will remain a top priority.(Courtesy: WWF-Canon/Mati Harvey.)
"This is a tensely political situation," Dr. Osofsky said. "The southern African nations have been patient for a long time, and effective real-world monitoring systems are still potentially a long ways off in much of Africa and Asia. It will likely be a question of how far along monitoring systems are, and how much thought has been put into defining ‘alarmà thresholds for population and poaching trends at various spatial and temporal scales by the next meeting of the CITES parties."
A global ban on ivory was passed in 1989 by CITES, which appears to have helped reverse elephantsà spiral toward extinction in Asia and Africa, particularly in Africa. Five hundred years ago, perhaps 10 million elephants lived and roamed throughout Africa. Today, it is estimated that about six percent of that number exists, or roughly 600,000, on the African continent. Some estimates put the number closer to 300,000, an indication of today's inefficiencies in monitoring elephant populations worldwide. The Asian elephant population is estimated at between 35,000 and 50,000 in the wild.
The only way ivory can be collected is through the death of an elephant, whose tusks are the source of the raw material. The historical demand for ivory, called "white gold" by many traders, had led to rampant poaching of elephants in both Asia and Africa, decimating most populations and threatening both species with extinction. Both male and female African elephants bear tusks while only the male Asian elephant has them.
South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe had argued that their ivory only comes from elephants which have died naturally or were culled (legally killed for management purposes) in overcrowded areas. Entering this recent conference of the parties, they had also ensured that no elephants would be killed specifically to generate ivory for trade. Opponents believe that granting their requests would have had an alarming impact on the elephants in other countries where it is unknown exactly how many elephants remain and how they are faring. According to Dr. Osofsky, culling has not taken place in the four southern Africa countries in the past few years, but it could conceivably take place again, perhaps before but more likely after the next CITES meeting.
- Eric McLamb
Did you know...?
Elephant tusks are actually overgrown incisor teeth. They are not used for chewing and thus their growth continues unabated.
