TUESDAY, 4.00PM
THE Harare summit of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species on Wednesday narrowly outvoted a South African proposal to resume trade in rhino horn.
With 60 votes for the proposal and 32 against, South Africa was three votes short of the required two-thirds majority, in a show of hands vote after SA dropped its demand for a secret ballot.
At the last Cites meeting, the South African white rhino was transferred from Appendix 1 to 2 of the Cites register, allowing the country to trade in live rhinos to acceptable overseas destinations, and the export of hunting trophies. This year SA sought an amendment to the annotation to allow it to trade in other rhino parts such as horns and other derivatives, starting with a zero quota. In terms of the proposal, SA would have resumed trade starting with an initial zero quota, to be increased at the next Cites meeting in two years if SA were able to show it had imposed watertight controls.
South Africa said on Wednesday it will demand a fresh vote on its proposal to sell skins and other rhino products, but not horn yet. George Payne, head of the wildlife service in KwaZulu-Natal province, where most of the country’s white rhino are bred, said South Africa will petition for a secret ballot by the full Cites plenary session before the conference ends on Friday.
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