South Africa to sell ivory to Japan, China
CAPE TOWN —
The South African government will press ahead with plans to sell just over 51 tons of ivory to China and Japan under a special exemption to the international ban on the trade.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species ruled last year that Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe would be able to make a one-off sale of 108 tons of government stocks.
Some environmentalists and African countries with dwindling elephant populations fear that it might encourage smuggling and poaching.
South African wildlife experts visited the two nations in September and said they were satisfied that both countries would meet the stringent conditions set by the convention and would not reexport ivory to supply the black market.
In a statement Thursday, the environment ministry said that it would now begin “preparations for the sale.”
Ivory trade was banned globally in 1989, but reviving elephant populations allowed African countries to make a one-time sale a decade later to Japan, the only country which had previously won the right to import.
In July, the convention said that China should also be allowed to bid for the ivory at auction later this year as it had dramatically improved its enforcement of ivory rules.
There was opposition to China’s inclusion in the auction from Ghana, Kenya and Australia, as well as some environmentalists.
The Washington-based Environmental Investigation Agency, said China had left too many questions unanswered and that the smuggling of ivory was out of control.
It said that more than 20,000 elephants a year are killed illegally in Africa and Asia for the ivory black market, with Chinese nationals implicated in illegal ivory seizures in more than 20 African nations.
Five years ago, the Chinese government confessed to the convention that it had lost track of 121 tons of ivory — the equivalent to the tusks from 11,000 dead elephants — between 1991 and 2002 and indicated that it probably was sold on illegal markets.
But since then Beijing has tightened its surveillance. Chinese law provides for capital punishment and life imprisonment for smugglers.
The South African environment ministry said it was satisfied that both China and Japan have computerised systems to register tusks and ivory products, as well as strict controls and ivory detection equipment at ports of entry and exit to prevent illegal exports.
After the sale, South Africa and its neighbors will not be allowed to export ivory again for nine years and must use the sale proceeds for programs to protect their elephant populations.
Even though the elephant is classed as “vulnerable” at international level, South Africa’s elephant population of 20,000 is set to double by 2020, placing a heavy toll on the balance of nature in the Kruger National Park and other wildlife centers.
The government last year warned that it would have to resume killing elephants — banned since 1995 — as a last resort measure to try to control the population explosion.
Wire reports
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Osakadaz
It is because these two countries still use it and still want it,that this poaching continues.pfffft.
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muchogrande
Whale bone would make a perfectly good substitute.
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boonme
This may initially feed Asian demand for Ivory but the move could back fire by creating even more demand for the white gold. Instead this could lead to further poaching pressures in the future. I fear it is a slippery slope.
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davidattokyo
Osakadaz - Yeah well the demand isn't going to go away, and that demand is an incentive for people to not drive elephants to extinction. What also comes with the demand is a will to pay good money for products. And the countries who are struggling with these issues need more cash. So CITES agreed to turn a negative into a positive and allow the use of the ivory on the condition that funds be poured back into managing elephant populations on a sustainable basis in areas where they believe it will work. A legal source of ivory is a disincentive for people to pay poor people in these countries to kill more illegally. Plus elephants die naturally as well. That's good ivory right there as well.
EIA complains, but then they would - complaining about the use of wildlife is what groups like EIA are all about (they prefer the Bambi Disney ideal for the world).
boonme - Supplying a demand should mean that demand for ivory is satisfied to some extent, rather than the reverse.
The problem as it always is is that often people start using these "free" resources without any coordination, and then it results in over-exploitation. Banning an activity seems like a reasonable short term solution, but longer term the smart way to go is to set up a framework in which these activities can restart and continue but on a sustainable basis. This is best for humans and ensures species conservation for our future generations to enjoy.
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Papawhale
Whalebone, Muchogrande? I suppose the whaling industry in Japan is still alive, even after the truth about tax subsidies to the Japanese whalers came out last year. One would hope that the new Admin. will review that with some understanding that it's time for the murderous, cruel whaling to STOP. Let's hope the Japanese people get fed up with the excesses and corruption in Taibbi and elsewhere in Japan. And David, you're reasoning is sound except for one thing--exploiting animals still being poached for human consumption is dangerous for all animals and promotes poaching. Why not educate people to use other materials instead? I love a good carving as much as anyone but not at the expense of a dead elephant.
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