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Zimbabwe faces 20-year ivory trade ban
Nqobani Ndlovu, The Standard (Zimbabwe)
May 06, 2007

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/viewinfo.cfm?linkid=11&id=6425&siteid=1

BULAWAYO — Zimbabwe and three other Southern African countries face a 20-year ban from trading in ivory and hunting elephants if a proposal by Mali and Kenya to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) succeeds.

Kenya and Mali allege that removing the ban on trade in ivory would encourage poaching and wanton killing of elephants in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The African countries single out Zimbabwe as the worst offender that should not be allowed to trade in ivory and to conduct elephant hunts.

The proposal will come under consideration at the CITES meeting to be held in The Hague, the Netherlands, in June.

In response to the proposal, officials from Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa last week convened a crisis meeting in Gaborone and resolved to fight the proposal. Among the strategies to be used was a diplomatic offensive to counter the proposal.

Officials from the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority confirmed the meeting at which Dr Morris Mutsambiwa, head of Parks and Wildlife, represented the country.

Reports suggest that Kenya and Mali found support from animal conservation groups in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) who are lobbying for a ban to be imposed on Zimbabwe and the other countries.

Mutsambiwa last week said they would fight hard to stop the proposals from being adopted.

"The allegations are false as we are the best managers of wildlife," he said. "We are working as a region to deal with this threat. We have resolved that we lobby and target countries with influence to support our cause."

Mutsambiwa said Zimbabwe's elephant population was too large and should be reduced. He said the elephant hunts and trade in ivory should be allowed to continue.

Zimbabwe claims an elephant population of over 100 000 against a holding capacity of 14 000. But local animal groups argue that the government figures are "cooked" as it has never carried out a national audit during the last seven years.

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