CITES Decision Promotes Illegal Ivory Trade

SMS MESSAGE
Official Bulletin of Species Management Specialists Inc

14TH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO CITES
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS, 3 - 15 JUNE 2007

PRESS STATEMENT
4 JUNE 2007

CITES Decision Promotes Illegal Ivory Trade

A decision by CITES Standing Committee not to approve China as a trading partner for registered stockpiles of African elephant ivory will stimulate illegal trade, Species Management Specialists said today.

"This decision is of serious concern. It has given into the views put forward by opponents of regulated ivory trade and the decision serves no conservation purpose for African elephants," the President of SMS, Mr Hank Jenkins, says.

Twice, the CITES Secretariat has sent official missions to verify that China's administrative and regulatory domestic controls, which are to ensure that illegal ivory would not be able to enter the market in China, are sufficient. On the basis of its last verification mission, the Secretariat advised the Committee that China had in fact satisfied all of the requirements set down by CITES for a country to be accredited as an African ivory recipient.

"Despite the Secretariat reaching this conclusion, it is puzzling why it was not able to recommend that China be approved," Mr Jenkins said.

"Having approved Japan to receive ivory in accordance with the 2002 decision of the Conference of the Parties authorising one-off exports of ivory stocks in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, it cannot be conceived why the Secretariat did not provide a written report complete with its recommendation, similar to that of Japan."

The Government of China requested the matter be put to the vote, resulting in six in favour of approval and six opposed. The lack of a written report was used as a reason for Switzerland, the Depository Government, not to break the tied vote, meaning China failed to get approval.

This restriction of legal exports to only one country by removing any competitive bidding effectively devalues the price for the three African ivory trading nations. Quite understandably, the Chinese Government officials and many observers were perplexed by the position taken by the Secretariat.

The present high black market value of African elephant ivory, approaching US$700 kg, is a reflection that both Japan and China are currently utilising very low legal stocks.

"There is now every reason to anticipate an escalation in the price of illicit ivory, further stimulating poaching and illegal trafficking and the Committee's decision will exacerbate enforcement efforts in the African range countries and importing countries. When the Committee reconsiders this matter next year, the price of illicit ivory is likely to be even higher, making it even more attractive for poachers," Mr Jenkins said.

ENDS

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