Namibia supports lifting ivory-trade ban
Namibia is one of five African countries that signed a declaration last month to lift the ban on the ivory trade.
This of 16 African nations invited to attend the three-day African Elephant Conference in Zimbabwe. Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Namibia and host Zimbabwe all signed the Hwange Declaration, a treaty pushing for the opening of ivory sales.
These southern African countries are set to advocate for the adoption of the treaty at the 19th conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), set to take place in Panama in November.
The countries all attended the conference from 23 to 26 May in the Hwange National Park, where the agreement was reached.
Deputy environment minister Heather Sibungo headed the Namibian delegation at the conference.
The Hwange statement demanded non-interference from CITES on domestic trade, the sovereignty of states and their right to monetise local wildlife.
It criticised decisions influenced by “non-affected nations” and animal welfare organisations, and called for a review of CITES membership in the face of its “continued unscientific and unwarranted decision-making processes”.
Better deal
According to the declaration, the signatories want to forge a “new and better deal for elephant conservation”.
It further said they are convinced that the conservation and sustainable use of wildlife depend on its proper management and utilisation, including the enforcement of laws governing such use.
The signatories are further determined to take all necessary measures to protect the status of the African Elephant and prevent illegal trade, and are cognisant of the various international restrictions imposed by international organisations and states on sustainable trade in wildlife and wildlife products.
“We urge all African states to join and forge a new and better deal for elephant conservation, tourism and rural communities in key African range states by endorsing and committing to this declaration.”
Millions lost
Last year, Namibian Sun reported that Namibia is losing roughly N$232 million per year due to trade restrictions on ivory.
According to the national elephant conservation and management plan, estimates of the costs of losses caused by elephants in Namibia and the costs of installing infrastructure to prevent losses are within the scope of income that can be earned just from trading in ivory recovered from natural and management-related mortalities.
“The sustainable conservation and management of elephants in Namibia and the effective mitigation of human-elephant conflicts are held ransom over animal rights-fuelled unproven fears that a regulated legal trade in ivory will cause harm to other elephant populations,” the declaration read.
Meanwhile, the ‘Overview of Elephant Conservation and Management in Namibia’ report said although Namibia’s conservation achievements concerning elephants and other species are widely known, it has not always received international support for its elephant conservation programmes, specifically from CITES.
More recently, the country has received virtually no support but much hostility, it added.
It said the amount of ivory in the Namibian stockpile is not in the public domain, but a tonne of ivory is worth about N$14.5 million. Taking a population of 20 000 elephants and a natural mortality rate of 4% per year, yielding an average tusk weight of 10 kg, the annual ivory yield from just 800 elephants dying from natural causes is 16 tonnes of ivory, worth N$232 million.
Elephants are on CITES’ Appendix 1 ‘no trade’ list everywhere in the world except Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, which were permitted a special exemption to list as Appendix 11, allowing limited trade in a 2008 once-off sale.
This of 16 African nations invited to attend the three-day African Elephant Conference in Zimbabwe. Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Namibia and host Zimbabwe all signed the Hwange Declaration, a treaty pushing for the opening of ivory sales.
These southern African countries are set to advocate for the adoption of the treaty at the 19th conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), set to take place in Panama in November.
The countries all attended the conference from 23 to 26 May in the Hwange National Park, where the agreement was reached.
Deputy environment minister Heather Sibungo headed the Namibian delegation at the conference.
The Hwange statement demanded non-interference from CITES on domestic trade, the sovereignty of states and their right to monetise local wildlife.
It criticised decisions influenced by “non-affected nations” and animal welfare organisations, and called for a review of CITES membership in the face of its “continued unscientific and unwarranted decision-making processes”.
Better deal
According to the declaration, the signatories want to forge a “new and better deal for elephant conservation”.
It further said they are convinced that the conservation and sustainable use of wildlife depend on its proper management and utilisation, including the enforcement of laws governing such use.
The signatories are further determined to take all necessary measures to protect the status of the African Elephant and prevent illegal trade, and are cognisant of the various international restrictions imposed by international organisations and states on sustainable trade in wildlife and wildlife products.
“We urge all African states to join and forge a new and better deal for elephant conservation, tourism and rural communities in key African range states by endorsing and committing to this declaration.”
Millions lost
Last year, Namibian Sun reported that Namibia is losing roughly N$232 million per year due to trade restrictions on ivory.
According to the national elephant conservation and management plan, estimates of the costs of losses caused by elephants in Namibia and the costs of installing infrastructure to prevent losses are within the scope of income that can be earned just from trading in ivory recovered from natural and management-related mortalities.
“The sustainable conservation and management of elephants in Namibia and the effective mitigation of human-elephant conflicts are held ransom over animal rights-fuelled unproven fears that a regulated legal trade in ivory will cause harm to other elephant populations,” the declaration read.
Meanwhile, the ‘Overview of Elephant Conservation and Management in Namibia’ report said although Namibia’s conservation achievements concerning elephants and other species are widely known, it has not always received international support for its elephant conservation programmes, specifically from CITES.
More recently, the country has received virtually no support but much hostility, it added.
It said the amount of ivory in the Namibian stockpile is not in the public domain, but a tonne of ivory is worth about N$14.5 million. Taking a population of 20 000 elephants and a natural mortality rate of 4% per year, yielding an average tusk weight of 10 kg, the annual ivory yield from just 800 elephants dying from natural causes is 16 tonnes of ivory, worth N$232 million.
Elephants are on CITES’ Appendix 1 ‘no trade’ list everywhere in the world except Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, which were permitted a special exemption to list as Appendix 11, allowing limited trade in a 2008 once-off sale.
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