TNAG-1955-FCO40-2784-Trade-of-rare-and-endangered-species-in-Hong-Kong-1989 — Page 51

t

RESTRICTED

JEK 151/2

124744

MDTTAN 3155

RESTRICTED FM NAIROBI

© F/M ce at end

A cc at end. Enter.

ода

TO TELELETTER FCO

TELELETTER NFR

Am Davenport Ri.

OF 141155Z JULY 89

© Bu 1018 $417

(3)

3.

AND TO TELELETTER DAR ES SALAAM, KAMPALA, HARARE, DAKAR, YAOUNDE AND TO TELELETTER LILONGWE, LUSAKA, KINSHASA, KHARTOUM, PRETORIA AND TO TELELETTER GABORONE, HONG KONG, UKREP BRUSSELS

KENYA: SAVE THE ELEPHANT CONFERENCE

1.

TOM BRYANT AND I CALLED ON RICHARD LEAKEY, HEAD OF THE WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT, ON 13 JULY, TO FIND OUT FROM HIM WHAT SORT OF CONFERENCE HE HAD IN MIND.

2.

LEAKEY EXPLAINED THE BACKGROUND TO HIS IDEA ON ''COMPENSATION' WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN OVERSIMPLIFIED BY PATRICK ORR IN HIS CONVERSATION WITH YOU. LEAKEY SAID THAT IT WAS APPARENT FROM THE RECENT CONFERENCE IN BOTSWANA THAT THERE WAS RESISTANCE FROM THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN COUNTRIES AND SOME OF THE WEST AFRICAN COUNTRIES TO THE IDEA OF CITES APPENDIX 1 LISTING FOR THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT, ON THE GROUNDS THAT THIS REPRESENTED DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THOSE COUNTRIES WITH NO PROBLEM OF A DIMINISHING ELEPHANT POPULATION AND PARTIAL DEPENDENCE UPON A LEGAL IVORY TRADE. IT HAD OCCURRED TO LEAKEY THAT ONE WAY TO ACHIEVE A WORKABLE CONSENSUS ON THIS QUESTION AT THE LAUSANNE CONFERENCE IN OCTOBER, WHICH WOULD LAY THE FOUNDATIONS FOR ANY SAVE THE ELEPHANT CONFERENCE IN KENYA, WOULD BE TO ACHIEVE AGREEMENT AMONG DONORS ON A FUND THAT WOULD BE USED TO BUY STOCKS OF IVORY INTENDED FOR LEGAL TRADE AT THE OPEN MARKET PRICE. THIS IVORY WOULD THEN BE DESTROYED. THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE AGREEMENT THAT THE MONEY USED TO BUY UP THESE STOCKS FOR DESTRUCTION WOULD BE HYPOTHECATED FOR USE IN THE WILDLIFE SECTORS OF THE AFRICAN COUNTRIES INVOLVED. THE EXISTENCE OF SUCH A FUND WOULD ALSO MAKE IT

M. Lenkey's LESS LIKELY THAT THE IVORY WOULD FIND ITS WAY ONTO THE BLACK MARKET langnage TN EG HONG KONG.

rather (kan Comment

from Mo

3.

AS INSTRUCTED, WE TOOK THE LINE IN PARAGRAPH 3 OF FCO TELNO 277. LEAKEY SAID THAT HE COULD SEE THAT THE IDEA OF COMPENSATION IN ANY FORM MIGHT CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR SOME DONOR COUNTRIES. HE EMPHASISED

Warren! THAT HE DID NOT SEE THIS PROPOSAL AS CRUCIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF ANY Minule SAVE THE ELEPHANT CONFERENCE, AND THAT HE HAD TABLED THE IDEA VERY

R

20

7

MUCH AS 'ANY OTHER BUSINESS''. HE FEARED THAT THE ABSENCE OF SOME SORT OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TOWARDS THE PROCESS OF REMOVING IVORY

1

PAGE

RESTRICTED