U.S. Department of the Interior

Office of the Secretary
Contact: Hugh Vickery in Santiago,
For Immediate Release: November 2, 2002
011-56-9-605-7360 or
011-56-2-685-5222 (News Media Only)

United States Expresses Concern Over Efforts to
Restart Ivory Trade; Hopes to Play Important
Role in Debate at CITES Conference

The United States acknowledges the call by African nations to reopen limited commercial trade in ivory but remains concerned regarding any resumption in this trade because of potential effects on elephant populations and on-going monitoring efforts.

Twenty-two African elephant nations met this week in Santiago, Chile, prior to the 12th Conference of theParties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). These African nations voted as a group to recommend that Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe be allowed a one-time sale of ivory stocks and annual sales thereafter based on approved quotas.

"We respect the vote of the range states at the recent Range State Dialogue to resume the ivory trade and the support their proposals currently are garnering from European countries, but we continue to have concerns," said Assistant Secretary of Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Craig Manson, the head of the U.S. delegation to CITES.

Manson emphasized that the United States hopes to play an important role in the discussions over the African proposals at the conference, scheduled for Nov. 3 to 15.

"The United States continues to be strongly committed to African elephant conservation," Manson said. "Regardless of the decision reached by the 160 nations that are part of CITES, ivory imports to the United States will continue to be prohibited under both the Endangered Species Act and the African Elephant Conservation Act."

The United States has been a leader in elephant conservation, contributing millions of dollars to support on-the-ground conservation in Africa.

"We recognize the steps range nations have taken to move to improve management and conservation of elephant populations and the needs of local communities who live in close contact with elephants to avoid or mitigate elephant-human conflicts." Manson said. "We also recognize the desire of African nations to use the proceeds from the sale of ivory stocks to help fund increased conservation efforts, but we don't want to jeopardize the progress we have made since CITES parties first listed African elephants in Appendix I in 1989."

Some range states continue to oppose ivory trade due to questions regarding the current ability to control poaching and illegal trade and whether trade would undermine the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) and the Monitoring of the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) program. Manson said these concerns are shared by the United States. The United States has been a strong supporter of these programs, which were established by CITES parties to monitor the full extent of elephant poaching and illegal trade.

CITES is an international agreement signed by 160 nations that is designed to control and regulate global trade in certain wild animals and plants that are or may become threatened with extinction due to commercial trade.

A CITES-regulated species may be included in one of three appendices to the Convention:

    · Appendix I includes species for which it is determined that any commercial trade is detrimental to the survival of the species. Therefore, no commercial trade is allowed in Appendix-I species. Non-commercial trade in such species may be allowed if it does not jeopardize the species' survival in the wild. Permits are required for the exportation and importation of Appendix-I species.

    · Appendix II includes species for which it has been determined that trade may be detrimental to the survival of the species if that trade is not strictly controlled. Trade in these species is regulated through the use of export permits.

    · Appendix III includes species listed by a range country that requires the assistance of other parties to ensure that exports of their native species are legal. Permits are used to control and monitor trade in native species. Any CITES party may place a native species in Appendix III.

Any listing of a species in either Appendix I or II requires approval by two-thirds of the CITES parties that vote on the proposal.

Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe have each proposed to maintain their elephant populations in Appendix II, but to allow for trade in ivory and other elephant products, such as hides, leather goods, and ivory carvings under an annual quota. Meanwhile, Zambia has proposed to downlist its population from Appendix I to Appendix II and to allow sale of tusks owned by Zambia's Wildlife Authority and sales of live animals under special circumstances, with the revenue going for conservation. Kenya and India have proposed to transfer all African elephant populations listed in Appendix II to Appendix I.





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