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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mr. Olner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made regarding the fulfilment of conditions for the proposed sales of elephant ivory stockpiles under the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species from Botswana, Namibia and South Africa in (a) importing countries and (b) exporting countries. [154014] Mr. Morley: It was an essential part of the decision at the last Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) that a number of strict conditions should be fulfilled before any of the proposed sales of ivory stockpiles went ahead. These included the provision of baseline data on elephant populations and poaching levels under the MIKE process (Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants) and confirmation by the CITES Secretariat that the potential importing countries could effectively regulate their domestic ivory markets. These issues will be discussed at the CITES Standing Committee meeting in Geneva next month. It is therefore too soon to make a definitive assessment but the UK Government remains clear that these sales must not proceed if these conditions have not been fulfilled.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

418 c132W;418 c141W; 154014

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Animal products Namibia Sales Trade Storage South Africa Ivory Countries Elephants Botswana

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk