By Chrispin Inambao
WINDHOEK
After a firestorm of resistance from a section in the 171-nation UN forum in The Hague that comprehensively debated ivory trade, Namibia will finally sell its ivory stock to Japan.
Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Japan is the only country authorized by CITES to buy ivory.
Yesterday, the 171-nation forum endorsed a historic nine-year ban on international ivory commerce that will come into effect after Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia conclude a one-off sale of government-held ivory stock – of which Namibia has 10 tons.
Namibia and the three other southern African countries permitted to participate in the one-off sale, fiercely objected to a 20-year moratorium on ivory trade proposed by other African countries whose elephant numbers are gravely depleted by heavily armed poachers.
But the Namibian team, led by Environment and Tourism Minister Willem Konjore, pushed for annual trade quotas and regulated stock quotas of up to 140 tons because it has a significant jumbo population.
“In our ivory stockpile, we have 10 tons. They (the UN forum) basically agreed to a one-off sale. They were very specific on which countries would be allowed to purchase this natural resource, because they also have to comply with a number of conditions,” Leon Jooste the Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism said shortly after the agreement.
Jooste said initially two countries were assessed and recommended by the CITES Standing Committee “as having sufficient legislation and domestic controls to ensure the ivory imported from the four countries is not re-exported,” but Japan was chosen as the sole ivory buyer.
China’s bid fell through though it is still involved in heavy lobbying.
Twenty tons destined for the one-off sale will come from Botswana, and up to 30 tons is expected to come from South Africa.
Jooste said he did not know the amount that Zimbabwe intended to auction.
“As far as I know, one of the conditions is that only ivory obtained from natural mortalities is permitted under this trade agreement,” he said.
When asked how much Namibia will generate from this much-sought after resource normally crafted into a wide array of pricey trinkets, Jooste answered, “I have got no idea what the financial value of that is.” Replying to another question on whether Japanese ivory buyers would come to Namibia, he said this is an issue that not only needs Namibia’s attention but should be discussed by all four sellers.
He said it is difficult to put an accurate figure on Namibia’s elephant population “because of our unique situation” whereby these animals “move freely across borders all the time and we share the same elephant population with Angola, Zambia, and Botswana”.
It is also a very expensive exercise to tally this specific game species though official estimates of this herd was put at 16 000 in 2004.
But this year, it has since expanded to 20 000 of which roughly 4 000 is in the northwestern population and the remaining 16 000 in the northeastern population. The northern population that Botswana shares with Namibia is presently estimated at 160 000.
The northwestern Zimbabwe elephant population stands at 90 000.
Because of their gigantic appetites these beasts eat huge quantities of vegetation in a single day and require large surface areas to sustain, leading Jooste to quip that Namibia’s jumbo herd is “enormous”.
Experts estimate some 20 000 elephants are killed for their ivory and meat each year on the continent, reducing Africa’s population to approximately 500 000 of these majestic wild animals.