CONSERVATION OF THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT
HONG KONG IVORY
1. The agreement to transfer the African elephant to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES), if ratified by the Conference as expected, will prohibit the import and export of raw and worked ivory by all participating states (unless they enter a formal reservation within 90 days of the Conference). Under the normal arrangements the ban would not come into force until the end of that 90 day
period but in order to forestall the accumulation of stocks
during an interregnum the UK Government has tabled a resolution calling for immediate implementation of the ban. Under the normal rules too the ban would apply to all existing stocks as soon as it came into force, but there is another resolution, tabled by the CITES Secretariat, which would exempt existing
stocks. This is what we call the "Hong Kong resolution" although it would in fact apply to all products, not just ivory, and of course products from all countries. The Conference is expected
to vote on both these latter resolutions today.
2.
Hong Kong has long been the centre of the world's ivory trade and at present holds a stockpile estimated at about 670 tonnes, worth some £85 million on the open market. There is considerable dispute about the status of this stockpile. The Hong Kong authorities maintain that it has all been imported legally, although they concede that about 20% of it was not covered by CITES certificates from the exporting countries. The conservation bodies maintain that a large proportion of the ivory was originally poached. The Hong Kong Government accept the case for Appendix I listing and a ban on trade in new ivory but wish to be allowed to trade away the existing stocks.