Countryside Management Association News

Representatives attending a recent CITES meeting have turned down requests from Zambia and Tanzania to permit international sales of ivory from government stockpiles. The action is considered a big victory for threatened elephant populations. An expert report released on the eve of the CITES conference raised concerns about the extent to which organized crime rings are involved in Tanzania's poaching and smuggling operations. Although commending the national wildlife services for their "professional" approach, it noted signs of a declining commitment to law enforcement and a lack of coordination between wildlife and customs services. It was noted that almost half of the ivory in the government's stockpiles – which would have been the source for the ivory sales – was of unknown origin. As a result of this, it recommended rejecting Tanzania's bid. Similar misgivings also led to a recommendation to reject the Zambian proposal.

The CITES meeting in Doha, Qatar, also turned down a bid to ban trade in red and pink corals from the Mediterranean Sea. Conservation groups say the corals - which are used in jewellery - are threatened with local extinction if extraction continues. The proposal to ban international trade in the Atlantic blue fin tuna, tabled by Monaco and backed by all of the important conservation organizations working on the issue around the Mediterranean, also fell by a substantial majority.