TNAG-1955-FCO40-2784-Trade-of-rare-and-endangered-species-in-Hong-Kong-1989 — Page 120

DRAFT LETTER TO MR HANS K H AU, NATHAN IVORY FACTORY LTD, KONG

HONG

Thank you for your letter of 20 June, to the Prime Minister about

ban on the import of ivory into the

the

recently introduced

European Community. I have been asked to reply,

The Government does appreciate the difficult position in which

you and other legal traders in ivory now find yourselves

result of the

39

ivory

with

It

growing pressure to ban all trade in

products. We are aware that many traders comply strictly

the CITES controls and only deal in legally obtained ivory.

however, A$ I am sure you know, extremely difficult to

legally obtained ivory once it has been worked from

is,

distinguish

1 c $: < ivory and illegal ivory can enter trade through this

it is clear that existing controls under

loophole.

the

Furthermore,

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of

Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),

including the quota system, have

not been sufficient to halt a severe decline in the population of

the African elephant I understand that during the past ten

years, numbers have decreased by 45%.

The Government have become increasingly concerned about the

plight of the elephant and now believe that stronger measures are

Vital to ConserVE the species, Lord Caithness visited Kenya

recently and took the opportunity to discuss the situation

wildlife experts there. As a result,

Government's view that there was now

with

he announced on 23 May the

case for transferring the

1.

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