The Ivory trade - No longer a thing of the past, but possibly the future

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) March 1, 2010 -- It seems that Tanzania and Zambia are going head to head with Kenya regarding the partial lift of the Ivory Trade ban. Tanzania and Zambia are looking to trade off their existing stock piles which has been claimed from poachers over the years, but to do this the Ivory Trade ban would need to be amended and partially lifted.

Tanzania and Zambia have been arguing their case about the need to sell off 113 tonnes of their stockpiled ivory, while Kenya is stating their concern that a limited lifting of the ban could spur an upsurge in poaching on the continent.

The African Elephant is currently classified in CITES Appendix I, where the trade is completely prohibited. Tanzania and Zambia are urging CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) for the elephant to be down-listed from Appendix I to Appendix II, which covers endangered species but in which limited international trade is allowed.

This quote from a Telegraph article explains why Kenya is so against the amended trade ban;

“Down in Tanzania's Selous game reserve an age-old scourge has returned to haunt Africa's biggest wildlife stronghold. Poaching is back, big time, with an average of 50 elephants being killed every month to fuel the ivory trade.”

On March 13, 2010, delegates from various countries will vote at the Doha convention to decide the outcome of this issue. Many people believe the future of the African Elephant lies in the decision being made at the Doha convention. Each side requires the support of at least 66 per cent of the 176 countries that have a vote in the CITES meetings.

Only time will tell if Africa’s elephant poaching problem will be a thing of the past, or if it will be very much a part of the future.

By Bernadette Wilson – African Travel Experts

More information can be found online at http://africantravelexperts.com/

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