Heeding to elephant conservationist, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) at its meeting held in Geneva last week decided not to allow sale of ivory stockpile in Africa.
Indian conservationist had apprehended that if the ban on sale of ivory is lifted, more elephants in India could be poached. They feared that Indian ivory could be passed off as that coming from legal ivory trade as demanded by African countries. The committee had agreed in principle in 2002 to allow 60 tonne stockpile of ivory in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa to export ivory.
However, the promise was conditional and linked to the ability of the Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) system to establish up-to-date and comprehensive baseline data on elephant poaching and population levels. The standing committee concluded last week that such a system is not yet in place.
MIKE was established in 1997 to measure and record baseline levels and trends of illegal hunting of elephants. Wildlife Trust of India had alleged that "nine years after its inception, MIKE data is incomplete, unreliable and based on flawed assumptions." A number of large seizures in the past year amounting to almost 15 tonnes of ivory - most assuredly the proceeds of poaching - are not reflected in the data on elephant populations presented by MIKE to the committee, it said.
Both China and Japan applied to be "trading partners" to purchase the stockpiles. In a controversial move, Japan's application was approved today after heated discussions, despite evidence that the "one-off" stockpile sale to Japan in 1999 resulted in ivory markets spinning out of control in Asia.
Questions were raised over the suitability of China and Japan to purchase the stockpiled ivory, after International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) reports on the domestic control system in both countries revealed loopholes that allow illegal ivory to flow into the legal markets. For years both countries have been criticised for their thriving markets in illegal ivory. Much of the Japanese control system is based on voluntary information. It is also known that larger private stockpiles exist which are not registered and can be used to launder illegal ivory into the legal system.
Conservation groups are concerned that any relaxation in the ban on ivory will result in an explosion in both demand and supply of ivory, and a flooding of the market of both legal and illegal stocks. In real terms, this translates to tens of thousands of slaughtered elephants, critically endangering elephant species
