Africa to speak with one voice on international ivory trade

Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Correspondent
ZIMBABWE will this month host 14 countries and different Asian Ambassadors at Hwange National Park at an event dubbed the Elephant Summit that will seek to come up with a collective objective ahead of the COP19 scheduled for Panama in November.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) meets every two to three years to review the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) convention. This is done through parties reviewing progress in the conservation of species included in the appendices, consider proposals to amend the lists of species in Appendices I and II which is expected be the major focus of the summit.

Zimbabwe and other African countries are pinning their hopes on agreeing to vote for the African elephant population to remain listed on CITES Appendix II that allows controlled trade in live elephants and their products.

The last countrywide census of Zimbabwe’s elephant population in 2014 estimated between 76 000 and 93 000 jumbos against its holding capacity of 45  000.

There was probably a further thousand elephants in small populations that were not surveyed. The country’s elephants dispersed in four populations North Western and South Eastern populations have grown above the desired densities with severe impacts on other species. In two of these populations in the Zambezi Valley there was marked decline in numbers, mostly as a result of poaching  of elephants.

Piles of ivory continue to accumulate with current estimates exceeding 600 million due to the trade ban. Deputy Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Cde Barbara Rwodzi confirmed the scheduled Elephant Summit to Sunday News and said: “We are going to have an Elephant summit at the beginning of May. We have invited 14 countries with all the Ministers of Environment and Climate in those 14 countries.

The objective is to discuss about the conservation management of elephants in our region and more so in our country. We have a capacity of 45 000 but as you may know, now with good management of our elephants we now have 90 000 elephants across our country with the highest number in the region.

So, we are saying let’s come together before COP19 in November and discuss this because we have other countries or other regions rather who are fighting that elephants should be in Appendix I whereby there won’t be trade and anything to do with elephants. Currently they are under Appendix II whereby there is minimum trade and they are saying let’s move to Appendix I.

So, we are saying let’s discuss and go to COP19 with one voice, objective and vision.”

Deputy Minister Rwodzi, however, declined to be open about the country’s position saying it was up to the continent’s agreement as the trade issue did not affect Zimbabwe alone. She expressed concern on the ban stating that as a result the country had accumulated a significant stockpile of ivory.

“Right now, we have piles of ivory that goes up to about 600 million in our country. It will, however, depend with the voice that we talk with as a continent as it is not Zimbabwe alone that is affected. Talk of Kenya outside Sadc and about 12 countries in the region. The only countries that are buying under appendix two is China and Japan and we are inviting their ambassadors to be part of the summit so that they understand where we are coming from but the objective is to speak with one voice when we go to the COP19,” said Deputy Minister Rwodzi.

The move by the country to make Africa speak with one voice on the international ivory trade has been welcomed by a number of wildlife and environmental conservation experts. Africa has over the years been severely divided by the

Western Animal Rights fundraising industry and some Western super powers.

It is against this background that the Elephant Summit will send a non-verbal statement to the Western forces to stop dividing the continent, with the selfish view of violating deserving countries from benefiting from the ivory trade and other forms of justified international trade in wildlife and its products.

Johannesburg-based international award-winning independent environmental journalist who writes extensively on environment and development issues in Africa Emmanuel Koro welcomed the move by Zimbabwe to hold the Elephant Summit while appealing to the African Union to speak with one voice when voting in CITES meetings.

“I would like to applaud African countries for having agreed to attend the Zimbabwe Elephant Conservation Meeting that will be held at the Hwange Safari Lodge in May 2022, in order to agree on voting for the maintenance of the African elephant population to remain listed on CITES Appendix II that allows controlled trade in live elephants and their products.

“My appeal to the African Union is the need to cooperate and support one another when voting at CITES meetings.

Remember we are the same people and therefore should support deserving countries to trade internationally in their wildlife and wildlife products such as ivory and rhino horn,” said Koro.

He further explained how the Sadc region had a reach US$2 billion wildlife potential economy which remains untapped due to the CITIES ban in trade.

“The world must learn from Botswana Chieftainess Rebecca Banika who represents Botswana’s Chobe District at the House of Chiefs that advises Parliament who said in November 2021 in support of international trade in wildlife and ivory and rhino horn, the international trade bans in ivory and rhino horn, restrictions on international hunting and threats to ban it as well as restrictions on wild trade in general, will make the UN fail to achieve UN SDGs in Africa.

There is no way that the UN can achieve poverty alleviation and incentivise wildlife and habitat conservation, without allowing Africans to trade internationally in their ivory and rhino horn and also hunt wildlife. Therefore, the UN should totally stop dreaming about achieving SDGs in Africa by 2030.”  — @nyeve14