PICTURE: The African elephant (Loxodonta Africana) is at the centre of the controversy during COP 17.
CONVENTION on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a multilateral treaty established to protect endangered plants (flora) and animals (fauna). The convention was signed on 3 March 1973 and put into effect on 1 July 1975.
CITES seeks to protect that international trade should not threaten the survival of plants and animal species. Zimbabwe became a Party to CITES in 1983. In June 1997, the country had a privilege to host the Tenth Conference of Parties (COP 10) of CITES in Harare. After the 1997 event, COP has been held in countries outside Africa. It’s only this year that COP has returned to Africa. Taking place in Sandton, Johannesburg in South Africa, the Seventeenth Conference of Parties (COP 17) which commenced on 24 September and shall end on 5 October this year was attended by more than 3500 delegates. The delegates include government representatives and animal protection groups. Zimbabwe went to COP17 advocating for the lift of the ban on ivory trade. Since 1997, the African elephant (Loxodonta Africana) had been listed in Appendix II of CITES. This Appendix meant that the African elephant of Zimbabwe was not necessarily threatened with extinction but could become so if trade weren’t strictly regulated. Since then, there has been a ban in ivory trade. Relief was only acquired on a footnote of the Appendix that specifically allowed for trade in live animals to appropriate and acceptable destinations.
Before that the elephant was originally listed in Appendix I which lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants.
The down listing to Appendix II also allowed South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to hold sales of ivory stockpiles to Japan and China in 1999 and in 2008. During the current COP, Zimbabwe and Namibia have submitted proposals to do away with the footnote that of the Appendix II listing of elephant population. They want to allow an unqualified trade in ivory.
Together with South Africa, Zimbabwe has also proposed to adopt a mechanism to permit the commercial exports of ivory from Appendix II range state to any importing “partner” States. On the other hand, green groups or animal protection groups are advocating for the total ban of trade in the big five animals; elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, leopard and lion.
Zimbabwe’s lion (Panthera leo) got into the arena after the slaying of one of Hwange’s collared felines by the name Cecil. Green groups claim that lions are threatened in Zimbabwe. The elephant’s outcry was worsened by the 300 elephants which succumbed to cyanide poisoning by poachers in in Hwange National Park in 2013.
PICTURE: Lion (Panthera leo) is categories by CITES as endangered in Zimbabwe
This prompted the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to suspend imports of sport-hunted African elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Tanzania arguing that wildlife in Zimbabwe is not well managed.
But private safari operators in the country and the Government argue that neither the lion nor the African elephant is threatened with extinction. More so, the wildlife has been and should be utilised in a sustainable manner.
During the opening session of the COP 17, businessman with world’s biggest private wildlife reserve, Save Valley Conservancy, Mr Wilfried Pabst highlighted that banning importation of trophies is like banning hunting itself.
He went on to outline that the conservation industry in Southern Africa is protection 55 million hectares of land under conservation as well as protecting 20 million animals. As a result, hundred thousands of jobs will be at stake translating to millions of people suffering since an average worker has ten people depending on him/her.
Tourism in Zimbabwe depends on both consumptive and non-consumptive tourism. Both have been contributing significantly to the economy of Zimbabwe. What CITES is saying to the world is that the affected countries should depend only on non-consumptive tourism and shun the consumptive one. In Zimbabwe consumptive tourism is mainly operated under the Communal Areas Management for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE).
Will COP 17’s proposals harm or benefit Zimbabwe tourism? The forthcoming article shall discuss.