Africa`s Ivory trade Dilemma for 2010
The 15th Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) is set to be held in Doha, Qatar from the 13th to the 25th of March. One contentious issue, which shall take up part of the proceedings, concerns the legitimate selling of ivory as a means of undercutting the illicit trade. Countries such as Tanzania and Zambia are keen to sell off their stockpiled ivory. These legitimate sales are expected to raise tens of millions of dollars to help countries to better protect vulnerable elephants. In addition, the controlled sale of ivory might dampen prices. There is some opposition to the proposal to offload stockpiles onto the market.
Mongi Henda, Intern, Organised Crime and Money Laundering, ISS Cape Town
The 15th Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) is set to be held in Doha, Qatar from the 13th to the 25th of March. One contentious issue, which shall take up part of the proceedings, concerns the legitimate selling of ivory as a means of undercutting the illicit trade. Countries such as Tanzania and Zambia are keen to sell off their stockpiled ivory. These legitimate sales are expected to raise tens of millions of dollars to help countries to better protect vulnerable elephants. In addition, the controlled sale of ivory might dampen prices. There is some opposition to the proposal to offload stockpiles onto the market. Many environmentalists have expressed concern that the controlled sales will inevitably stimulate demand and create more opportunities for poachers. They cite the views of countries such as Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that previous sales of ivory stockpiles in 2008 were responsible for the significant increase in poaching in recent years. It should therefore be quite interesting to see what concrete decisions will be taken at this year’s Cites convention given the divergent views surrounding the ivory trade.
One thing that can be almost unanimously agreed upon is the sharp increase in elephant poaching across Africa recently. For instance, the organisation Space for Elephants (SEF) has remarked on the illicit ivory trade, which they believe to have gradually increased since 2004, and to have escalated quite sharply in 2009. Research undertaken by the Elephant Trade Information System - managed by the international wildlife trade-monitoring network TRAFFIC has found that the volume of illegal ivory seized doubled between 2008 and 2009. Kenya and the DRC have been particularly hard hit by poachers belonging to well organized crime syndicates that supply the growing demand, particularly in Asia. According to the Kenyan government, in 2009, poachers killed 232 elephants - up from 145 in 2008 and 47 in 2007. In the DRC persistent conflict during 2009 has also contributed to elephant poaching. Anita Gossman’s article “Tusks and Trinkets: An overview of illicit ivory trafficking in Africa”, published in the ISS’s African Security Review last year, highlights how the Congolese military have been struggling to cope with poaching activity in the DRC’s Garamba National Park. In Garamba, rebels belonging to the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) are believed to be heavily involved in poaching and selling ivory for profit, more than 180 elephant tusks passed through Ariwara in 2009 alone.
Poaching in Africa is therefore reaching higher levels of severity than during the 1990’s. Scientists have even estimated that between 8 to 10% of Africa’s elephants are being killed per year to supply the growing demand for ivory. Such high levels of poaching have not been seen since the 1980’s before the implementation of the world ivory trading ban on the 18th January 1990.
What has not yet been properly established is whether or not the legitimate selling of ivory stockpiles is driving the illicit trade in ivory. During the 14th Cites conference in 2007, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia were given the go-ahead for a once-off sale of their ivory stocks of more than 100 tonnes which took place in 2008. This consignment was reportedly sold at a price of more than $20 million to Japan and China. As noted earlier, the years following the once-off sales in 2008 have seen an increase instead of a decrease in poaching activities. This however does not necessarily point to a causal relationship between legitimate and illicit ivory trade. To assume this would be to ignore other salient variables such as an increasing demand for ivory amongst China’s burgeoning affluent classes. As renowned expert on the ivory trade Daniel Stiles points out, “Ivory is a high prestige and auspicious material in Asia, used often for display, religious and gift-giving purposes”. This suggests deeper cultural reasons for ivory demand in Asia beyond the legitimate sale of ivory stockpiles by certain African countries. On the other hand poor law enforcement in countries such as Kenya and the DRC have left their respective conservation security structures quite vulnerable. Anita Gossmann notes the link between conflict and elephant poaching in Africa. In both the DRC and Kenya elephant poaching has been committed quite often by armed groups who use the proceeds of the illicit ivory to fund their war efforts. This leads to a vicious cycle whereby armed conflicts permit poaching and poaching in turn facilitates the continuation of armed conflict.
What can be observed from the current situation regarding the growing illicit trade in ivory is that history seems to be repeating itself. During the 1980’s demand for ivory was being led primarily by Japan’s emerging well-off citizens. Today it is China’s growing upper class that is driving the demand. During the 1980’s poaching in Africa was permitted by widespread conflict and poor governance. Today it is the continuation of these conditions that has allowed for such an increase in poaching. In addition organized crime groups have now taken advantage of these favorable conditions and established themselves as important suppliers. Disappointingly this point is being overlooked. As the Cites conference approaches, the debate seems to be centered on confirming an elusive link between legitimate sales of ivory stocks and the growing illicit trade. This unfortunately detracts from the important supply/demand factors that drive the illicit trade in ivory. It is these factors that need to be properly identified and understood in order to stem the growing illicit ivory trade. To this end more security is needed.
Countries enmeshed in conflict and corruption are in no position to enforce laws that can control the illicit trade in ivory. Secondly, cultural and economic factors particularly in Asia are likely to continue to feed high demand for ivory products. Customers should rather be sensitized of the risks inherent to the contemporary ivory trade, in the same way that the Kimberly Process informs customers about illicit diamonds. Lastly, all parties concerned with the preservation of elephants need to appreciate the trans-national nature of the problem, and adequately inform themselves of trends and routes. Poaching syndicates seem to operate across borders, creating complex routes that stretch across a number of countries. Role players from many sectors have to cooperate to find solutions. This is not too much to expect from this year’s Cites conference.
