1989-08-17 16:17 AGRI.& FISH. DEPT.
5218
852 3 311 3731 P.01
2118
Copied to mr. Muchuat
To: Department of the Environment, U.K. 002-44-0272-218-206
(Mr. C. Follage)
From: Agriculture & Fisheries Department,
Hong Kong {S.P. Lau)
File Ref. AF CON 07/22 Annex A
Date : 17 August 1989
Total No. of Pages : 2
Repeat to London Office
002-44-1-493-1964
CITES : Hong Kong Ivory Trade
Dr. Lawrence H.Y. Lee, Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, took the opportunity to meet Government officials, including Mr. Marshall Jones, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Washington D.C. on 16 August 1989 after he attended the Pacific Summit meeting,
2.
Dr. Lee conveyed to them HK Government's serious concern over the decline in population of the African elephants, our full commitment to conservation of endangered species, our strict system of law enforcement, and the recent stepped up control measures we introduced as positive efforts to prevent the elephant from further declining.
3.
U.S. officials said they were aware of HK'a good control system through the CITES Secretariat and their CG in HK, but they were not sure of other countries.
4.
Dr. Lee expressed HK's concern over the selective banning of trading in ivory, e.g. Japan imposes a ban on worked ivory, but allows import of raw ivory from African producing countries. HK Government believes that the trading of existing stocks of legally obtained ivory must be allowed to continue.
5.
The US officials felt that a significant portion of rew ivory export from Africa despite having been endorsed by the respective governments and the CITES Secretariat, must have come from illegal source.
Based on this, they considered it difficult to identify legal stock and found it hard to allow any trade to continue. They also said once they allowed the trade of existing HK stocks they would find it difficult to differentiate legal ones from any new illegal ones in the market and hence they could not accept trade at present. The current US ban will be reviewed after
the October CITES conference.
6.
Dr. Lee conveyed the hardship of the Hong Kong ivory traders and carvers to them and stressed the need to regard CITES approved source as Legal He suggested CITES should consider ways to improve the existing permit control system if it was found to be deficient rather than replacing it with a total ban on international trade. He also emphasised the importance of good control management at producing countries and possible options to ensure more effective control. He requested the US authority to review their position so as to allow trade in existing legal stocks. He also stressed the importance of international cooperation in the matter and the usefulness of their discussion with each other,
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