(Doha)–Zambia has withdrawn its request for the sale of stockpiled ivory during the debate over its proposal to the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna Flora. This ensures that the Meeting will not allow trade in any elephant ivory.
“The Parties have made it quite clear that there should be no trade in elephant ivory,” noted Will Travers, CEO of the Born Free Foundation and President of the Species Survival Network. “Any legal trade in elephant ivory incentivizes elephant poaching and illegal ivory sales. Intelligent elephant management dictates that the species be protected from trade in tusks. It’s just that simple.”
Despite the removal of the ivory provision, Zambia still tried to downlist its population of African elephants from Appendix I to Appendix II and failed in a vote of 55 in favor, 36 against, 40 abstentions.
“Downlisting would have sent a horrible message to poachers and criminal syndicates Africa,” Travers added. “I am relieved that Zambia’s revised proposal did not succeed, and this view is shared by the majority of African elephant range states.”