COMMENT: Lift ban on ivory trade for the benefit of elephants

The Chronicle

Zimbabwe is playing host to a four-day Elephant Summit starting on Monday ahead of an aerial elephant survey in July. A total of 16 African ministers, environment experts and animal rights activists as well as development partners are expected to attend the conference to be held at the Hwange National Park.

The conference is in preparation of the continent’s participation at the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora) 19th Conference of Parties (COP) this coming November in Panama.

The Hwange meeting is expected to come up with an African position regarding wildlife management, take stock of the successes and failures of the countries’ wildlife management programmes and craft the way forward with regards to ban on sale of ivory by CITES.

Zimbabwe is sitting on more than US$600 million worth of ivory stockpile which it could sell to sustain wildlife management programmes. In 1989, CITES banned the international ivory trade and African countries are expected to push for the lifting of the ban at the COP in Panama.

Ivory

At the Kasane Elephant Summit in Botswana in 2019, President Mnangagwa and other African leaders spoke strongly about the need for Southern African nations to benefit from their natural resources.

“Let us resolutely affirm our collective position on sustainable elephant conservation management. Let us boldly speak with one voice in the best interest of our communities. The ‘one size fits all’ banning of everything under CITES disregarding the good efforts and investments by our respective governments, is neither sustainable nor desirable,” said President Mnangagwa.

Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe have a combined population of more than 250 000 elephants which is 75 percent of the world’s jumbo population.

President Mnangagwa said the global community should consider the voices and concerns of countries that are successfully conserving elephants. He said poverty eradication, economic empowerment and the improvement in the quality of life of rural communities can only be enhanced if countries are allowed to trade in ivory.

African leaders have said the biggest threat to successful wildlife conservation and to economic well-being of Africa is the dictation by outsiders who include western governments and animal rights groups on how Africa should manage and use its wildlife.

It should be the responsibility of African governments to decide how to manage their wildlife for the benefit of their respective citizens. The communities should benefit from their wildlife hence the urgent need to lift the ban on international ivory trade.

Southern Africa, as already alluded to, is home to 75 percent of the world elephant population and as such the ban on ivory trade has a huge impact on the region’s conservation programmes. Proceeds from natural resources such as elephants have over the years been used by different African countries to fund community projects such as building clinics, roads, bridges and other such projects meant to empower communities and improve their quality of life.

Western countries that are genuinely committed to wildlife conservation should therefore support Southern African governments’ position to allow elephant hunting and legal ivory trade.

It is our fervent hope that the Hwange conference will once again unite African countries to speak with one voice as they demand the lifting of the ban on international ivory trade.

Article Source: The Chronicle

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