Daily Times

JOHANNESBURG: The global conference that governs wildlife trade voted on Monday against strengthening the ban on ivory sales, exposing bitter divisions among African countries and experts over elephant conservation.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) rejected a proposal to include all African elephants in its highest category of protection, which bans trade in species facing extinction. A coalition of 29 African countries – led by Kenya and Benin – had pressed for African elephants to be put in the CITES “Appendix I” category.

But South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe rejected the proposal, saying they should continue to be excluded from Appendix I as they have stable or growing elephant populations. “This is a tragedy for elephants,” said Kelvin Alie, programme director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

“At a time when we are seeing such a dramatic increase in the slaughter of elephants for ivory, now was the time for the global community to step up and say ‘no more’.” But many experts and delegates at the CITES conference in Johannesburg believed the proposal would have fuelled the illegal market and led to some countries such as Namibia withdrawing from the CITES treaty.