TNAG-1954-FCO40-2783-Trade-of-rare-and-endangered-species-in-Hong-Kong-1989 — Page 100

ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL 8-9 JUNE AFRICAN ELEPHANT

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Question and Answer Briefing

What will happen to ivory being stockpiled now?

Legal ivory, endorsed by the CITES Secretariat will still be traded, but clearly it will be more difficult for poached ivory to enter into the trade.

Why not introduce a unilateral ban in the UK?

A ban on trade with one country is unlikely to have any significant effect on the total trade. The UK accounts for only a small proportion of world trade and that trade will simply find an outlet elsewhere.

How much trade in ivory in the UK?

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274 tusks were imported into the UK in 1988 but this is not the whole picture because there has been some trade in worked ivory and ivory pieces. UK accounts for about 1-2% of world trade.

What is UK doing to bring pressure to bear on Hong Kong to stop illegal trade in ivory?

We have been monitoring the situation closely and have recently been in touch with the Hong Kong authroities. They are fully aware of and share our concern about trade in illegal ivory. The only ivory which may legally be imported into Hong Kong at present is that which comes from a CITES approved source and is subject to the issue of a licence.

Why has UK allowed import of illegal ivory from Zaire?

We

I cannot reveal details of individual cases because they are confidential. strictly implement all CITES and EC controls. We do not allow the import of raw ivory which has not first been approved by the CITES Secretariat, nor do we retrospectively licence the import of goods which we have grounds for believing to be illegal.

Corruption in the Secretariat?

We

have no reason to question the integrity of the Secretariat or its staff; if anyone has any evidence of corruption they should pass it to the Police or Customs and Excise.

What assistance has the UK given?

We

We donated £5000 in 1988 and in 1989 to the Ivory Trade Monitoring Unit. have for a long time supported wildlife conservation through our aid programme. For example in Kenya we fund 3 expatriate staff and have provided equipment, such as lorries to assist in anti-poaching efforts.