CITES- LAST CALL FOR ELEPHANTS

CITES- LAST CALL FOR ELEPHANTS -

TANZANIA WANTS TO SELL IVORY

ATTA (African Travel and Tourism Association) released this message this week - please help by going online and signing the survey:

Tanzania said yesterday , March 6th, that it will press for permission to sell around 100 tonnes of elephant tusks to reduce its huge stockpile and use the money to combat poaching.

"Our go-down in Dar es Salaam is full and we need to dispose of some of the tusks to create space for new stock," Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Shamsa Mwangunga.

"Proceeds from the proposed sale of 100 tonnes of elephant tusks will be used to buy equipment and finance anti-poaching operations," she said, adding that around 15 billion shillings (11 million dollars) could be raised.

The Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES) will hold its 15th session of the conference of parties on March 13-25 in Doha, where Tanzania and Zambia intend to apply for permits to sell ivory stockpiles.

But Tanzania's neighbour Kenya is opposed to allowing the sale of ivory arguing that it encourages poaching.

According to the Kenya Wildlife Service poaching for elephant and rhino tusks has been on the rise in Africa since the 2007 partial lifting of an international trade ban to allow a one-off sale to China and Japan by Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

WHERE DO YOU STAND IN THIS DEBATE?

PLEASE VOTE BY FOLLOWING THE LINK BELOW

THE CITES DEBATE There is no time to lose! The CITES meeting is next week (starts March 13th).

"This is really the last call for elephants in Africa," says Bourama Niagate, director of parks and natural reserves in Mali. "The devastating poaching of the 1980s first controlled through CITES is now so prevalent that the African elephant is all but extinct in some countries. This is because limited legal sales were allowed in the recent past providing the perfect cover for illegal trade in poached ivory.

"If we do not let elephant populations recover over the next 20 years by stopping the trade entirely, there will be no more African elephants outside a few zoological specimens in reserves in southern parts of Africa. Europe needs to do the right thing and back our stance now because it is nearly too late."

ATTA creates a forum for its members to debate issues.

The CITES debate is a highly emotive issue with two strong opposing factions. What do you our members feel about this?

To take the ATTA survey, follow this link:

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB22AAFA36ZDC

We will publish the results next week


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