SADC COUNTRIES

-- Zimbabwe's
proposal for reopening ivory
trade is one of the hot issues
at this year's Convention
on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES)
meeting this month. The
Southern African Development Community (SADC)
countries of Zimbabwe,
Namibia and Botswana have
united in their proposal to
restart the trade in ivory.
Although South Africa is
not asking to be included in
the list, it has forwarded its
support to the three SADC countries.

I Recent statistics have
shown that elephant populations have been rising steadily in southern Africa to about 150,000 despite
culling. But SADC countries
assert that they have successfully curbed poaching.
Reportedly, elephant herds
are having increasing conflicts with farmers and villagers who, feel the experts, need a financial incentive to
conserve elephants.

The Zimbabwean department of national parks
and wildlife management
(DNWPLM) holds over 28,000
tonne (t) of ivory obtained
from poached or culled elephants. Between 1992 and
1995, sales averaged 3.6 t a
year. Over 1996, 10 t were
sold. A CITES team reported
that large amounts of raw,
semi-worked and worked
ivory from this stockpile are
being sent all around the
world. The team alleged that
ivory dealers are bypassing
the law by labeling the shipments with 'personal use'
permits. Willas Makombe,
director of a DNWPLM delegation, reacted angrily to the
CITES report. Makombe said that any "shortcomings" that
occurred in 1996 were due to lack of funds and staff
vacancies which are being filled up now.