Timber exports: Cites permit needed for kiaat

In future, all kiaat specimens will require import and export permits from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).

Kiaat is one of the most preferred timber species that occurs in most southern African countries, including Namibia.

This follows a proposal submitted by Benin, Côte d’Ivore, Senegal and the European Union to list the Pterocarpus species, commonly known as teak, and Afzelia, commonly known as African mahogany, as Appendix II.

The proposal was submitted at the 19th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP19) to Cites, which took place from 14 to 25 November in Panama, and was adopted.

“This means after 90 days from the last day of COP19, all Kiaat specimens will require Cites export and import permits,” the spokesperson of Namibia’s environment ministry, Romeo Muyunda, said.

All kiaat exporters and importers will be required to apply for permits at the ministry’s permit office, he added.

Namibia’s delegation to COP19 was headed by the ministry’s executive director Theo Nghitila, while the Namibian Association of Community-Based Natural Resource Management Support Organisations also attended the meeting as an observer.

Proposals rejected

At COP19, Namibia submitted a proposal to transfer its white rhino population from Appendix I to Appendix II to allow for trade in live animals for conservation purposes and hunting trophies.

According to Muyunda, this proposal was also submitted at COP18 and was rejected.

“During this COP, the component on trade in live animals was accepted. The one on hunting trophies was not accepted. This should, however, not be interpreted to mean we are not allowed to export trophies. We will continue to export trophies as we do now, using the Appendix I regime.”

Meanwhile, COP19 rejected proposed amendments that Namibia submitted together with Cambodia and Zimbabwe on the criteria for the amendment of Appendices I and II to incorporate livelihoods and food security.

Another proposal submitted by Namibia - with Eswatini and Zimbabwe – was for participatory processes to be put in place for rural communities in Cites decision-making processes, as these communities are custodians of wildlife and suffer the burden of living with wildlife and yet are excluded from decision-making processes.

This matter will be discussed as part of an intercessional working group to be established by a standing committee under an agenda item on the engagement of indigenous people and local communities.

Conservation

Muyunda said there were also other proposals submitted by other parties which had a bearing on Namibia’s conservation programme.

This includes a proposal submitted by Zimbabwe to amend the annotation for the Appendix II listing of the elephant population in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe to allow trade in raw ivory for these countries. This proposal was rejected.

Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Senegal and the Syrian Arab Republic submitted a proposal to include all populations of African elephants in Appendix I through the transfer from Appendix II to I of the populations of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. This proposal was rejected because these populations do not meet the listing criteria for Appendix I.