Member states to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) on Monday adopted an ”action plan” that places further controls on the illegal ivory trade in Africa.
The plan, Cites Document 29,1, calls on African ”range states” with large elephant populations to prohibit unregulated domestic sales in ivory, placing the onus on sellers to prove that their sources are legal.
There has been a ban on international trade in ivory since 1987, although some one-off sales have been permitted to specific African states by Cites.
The new action plan adopted by the conference calls on African states to issue instructions to law enforcement and border control agencies to enforce the ban and to engage in public awareness campaigns.
Conservationists called the ”action plan” lacking in sufficient details.
”We feel Document 29,1 is barely scratching the surface,” said Grace Gabriel, spokesperson for Habitat Protection Asia.
Cites had yet to vote on a proposal by Kenya that would toughen the conditions of the plan, and on Namibia’s request for a one-off sale of 2 000kg of ivory from it’s cut ivory stock.
Kenya has requested a six-year moratorium on all ivory sales to allow range states enough time to assess their elephant populations.
The ivory trade debate has been among the most heated of the 70 country proposals discussed at the 13th Cites conference, hosted by Bangkok from October 2 to 14. – Sapa-DPA