Elephant economics: battle to ease ivory-trade ban

"It's not much," says Judith Mashinya, program manager of Africa Resources Trust, an organization that supports community development in Zimbabwe based on sustainable use of natural resources.

Southern Africa's elephants have flourished to "unsustainable" numbers, say wildlife officials in Zimbabwe, ravaging trees and wreaking havoc with villagers' crops. What has not flourished enough are their tourist industries and other government sources of revenue for managing the parks.

"Zimbabwe has a lot of economic problems now," Ms. Mashinya says, "If we are not allowed to sell the ivory ... there will not be sufficient funds toward conservation for the elephants."

Because of the ban, the three countries gave up a huge source of revenue, selling ivory to Asia for traditional carvings and piano keys. The hanko, an ornately carved Japanese signature stamp considered a status symbol, is believed to be the largest use for ivory today.

But Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe saw just how much money could be made off ivory last year when CITES permitted a one-time experimental sale of their stockpiles. Japan - the highest bidder - reportedly paid over $5 million for 54 tons of ivory. The sale was permitted, in part, as a "reward" for successful wildlife management programs.

But the sale was widely protested. "We have been down this road before," says Craig Culp of Greenpeace in Washington. "The minute you remove the outright ban, all control is gone."

Kenya blames an increase in poaching on the renewed trade. (KWS says 67 elephants were killed last year, up from 15 in previous years.) With India, Kenya proposes to stop more sales by moving southern Africa's elephants to the CITES list of most-endangered species.

A bloc of 14 southern African nations vowed to vote for cautious trade. Tusks marked with serial numbers and bulk sales to single buyers will discourage poaching, they say. "No significant increase in the illegal killing of elephants has occurred in the four countries since the experimental trade in ivory," says a February press release.

The United States is expected take a moderate position: that ivory sales should wait until MIKE, the CITES monitoring system that keeps track of elephants and poaching, is fully operational. (The US Fish and Wildlife Service invites the public to give ideas about the issues via e-mail at: r9oma_cites@fws.gov)

Some fear that if successful antipoaching programs bring few financial gains, cash-strapped governments could get frustrated and invest their land and resources elsewhere. Still others fear that decisions will be made based on pressure from well-funded US environmental groups that have supported efforts to develop elephant birth-control pills rather than moves to cull animals in overpopulated parks.

"Why do you propose putting elephants on contraceptives if they are endangered?" asks Mashinya. "This thing is ideologically driven. They just abhor the thought of killing any wildlife."

Whales, great white sharks, and sea turtles will also be high on CITES agenda this week. Kenya also proposes to rescue gorillas from war zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Each proposal must rally a two-thirds majority at CITES to pass.

(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society

Page: 1 | 2