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allowing Hong Kong to continue to trade will encourage more poaching in Africa and threaten the future of the elephant. We have refuted this. Hong Kong introduced a ban on imports of ivory on 16 June 1989. No new ivory can therefore enter the market legally and it would make no sense to try to import ivory illegally given the size of the legal stockpile. Hong Kong has also introduced stringent
These controls to ensure that no illegal ivory enters trade. include export licensing, possession licensing for quantities over 5kg, and the setting up of a Customs task force and computer data base to monitor the trade. We believe that the import ban and other controls will not provide a loophole for the entry of illegal ivory onto the market and therefore will not provide an incentive to
continued poaching.
6. The current stock of ivory is 474 tonnes 150 tonnes of worked ivory and 324 tonnes of raw ivory. The difference of 196 tonnes from the original estimate at the time of the CITES Conference is attributed to the availability of more accurate data since the introduction of possession licencing on 12 January (the 670 tonne figure was based on estimates) and the export of a small quantity of ivory in the intervening three months. The Hong Kong traders have said that the value of ivory has halved since the CITES decision.
This would value the 474 tonnes at some £30m.
full CITES documentation (358 tonnes) may be exported. some pre-dating CITES, have no documentation.
exported.
Only ivory covered by
116 tonnes,
None of this may be
In fact since the Reservation was entered no ivory has
been exported from Hong Kong. At the end of the 6 month Reservation, all commercial exports will cease and ivory not disposed of will remain in Hong Kong. Only ivory which meets the CITES Appendix I criteria, for example antiques, will be exported
thereafter.
Maritime, Aviation and Environment Department and
Hong Kong Department
9 February 1990
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