TNAG-1956-FCO40-2785-Trade-of-rare-and-endangered-species-in-Hong-Kong-1989 — Page 175

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AFRICAN ELEPHANT TRADE IN IVORY

FROM:

DATE:

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E J Hughes, MAED

4 August 1989

cc: Mr Bayne

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WILLIAM WALDEGRA

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1. The Minister will wish to be aware of the current state of play on preservation of the African elephant.

2. EC member states met on 27-28 July and agreed to impose a ban on imports of raw and worked ivory from the African elephant. We had already introduced a UK ban on imports with effect from 9 June. The EC ban is likely to come into force around the middle of this month. (The Commission itself cannot give a firm date at this stage). FCO telno 1649 of 3 August to Hong Kong reports the meeting.

3.

It is unfortunate that we were not able to persuade our EC partners to agree to special exceptions for the 100 tonnes of worked ivory held in Hong Kong which were originally imported from the EC. Doubts existed principally over Hong Kong's ability to differentiate between legal and illegal ivory. TUR explains that Hong Kong will have to come up with some workable proposals for the next CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) conference in Lausanne in October if we are to press their case.

4.

The CITES conference will discuss proposals to transfer the African elephant from Appendix II to Appendix I of the CITES, which would effectively ban all trade in ivory. The UK has already indicated its intention to support this upgrading. The African countries are split; the East Africans are seeking a ban whereas the Southern Africans, particularly Zimbabwe and Botswana, are opposed. (In Zimbabwe the numbers of elephants have increased from 30,000 to 60,000 in the last ten years and in Botswana from 20,000 to 60,000).

C42ACB/SLK

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