By the standard Digital
African countries have regretted that participants at a global forum did not extend full protection for the continent’s elephants.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) ends on Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland, but African representatives said the decision on the future of elephants was an anticlimax.
Kenya’s Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko said while the proposals calling for the reopening of the international ivory trade were overwhelmingly rejected, the parties of the CITES did not take the necessary steps to provide the full protection to African elephants.
“This went contrary to the view of the majority of African countries in which the species lives,” Tobiko said.
The African representatives said the EU, which is made up of a 28-country bloc vote, ultimately determined the outcome.
“The EU claimed that the range countries of the species were against stronger protection. This is a misrepresentation of facts since the proposal in question was submitted on behalf of countries representing 70 per cent of the African elephant range,” the representatives said.
“Furthermore, the chairman of the committee in which the debate raged failed to demonstrate the impartiality expected of him by often giving the floor to the countries of southern Africa, all who favor reopening the trade in ivory.
In contrast, the proposal to ban trade, which was submitted by the other African Range States under the banner of the African Elephant Coalition (AEC), was dealt with in just 20 minutes. It is appalling that CITES member States did not give the issue of the African elephant’s survival the importance it deserves.”
Vera Weber, president of Foundation Franz Weber (FFW), said her organization will continue to monitor the final days of the Conference of the Parties (CoP18), complete with its twists and turns. Read more>>
