Ivory Sale Bid Defeated

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) rejects process for ivory sales.

22:57 28 September 2016

Delegates at the International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) in Johannesburg have rejected the so-called Decision Making Mechanism (DMM), a process to work out a way for legitimate ivory sales to resume at some point in the future.

 

DMM has been under discussion for eight years and is supported by a number of southern African states. It is, however, rejected by the Conference of the Parties (COP). In a bitterly divided meeting in The Hague in 2007, African states made a compromise and allowed a one off sale of ivory to China and Japan in 2008. They then agreed that they would refrain from proposing any new sales until at least 2017.

 

After eight years, there is little progress on the issue. At the meeting in Johannesburg, Namibia and Zimbabwe attempted to force it by proposing the immediate adoption of a DMM. The parties rejected the idea of any further talks on the process by 76 votes to 20.

 

"This is a very significant step towards saving the African elephant and we are very happy that the COP have finally ended this DMM," said Dr Patrick Omondi who is a Kenyan government representative at Cites.

 

"We were very concerned about this process because it was sending the wrong signals to the organised criminals, we have been opposed to it and we are happy."