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Background
1. A worldwide ban on commercial trading in African
elephant ivory was introduced under the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES) on 18 January. The UK entered a six month
Reservation to allow Hong Kong to dispose of its stocks of
legally-acquired ivory and to allow the carvers and workers
to find alternative employment. The Reservation was
withdrawn with effect from midnight on 17 July following
delivery of a Note from the British Embassy Berne to the
Swiss as depositary power of CITES.
2.
Hong Kong introduced legislation on 17 July to give
effect to the worldwide ban. A loophole in the legislation which would have allowed tourists to export ivory from Hong
Kong under the personal possessions clause of CITES was
closed when the Governor amended the legislation.
3.
It has been alleged that the Reservation led to the
deaths of around 50 elephants. Whilst we have seen no evidence of a direct link between the continued poaching in
East Africa and Hong Kong it seems probable that the poachers continued poaching for a short time after 18
January hoping to smuggle ivory into Hong Kong, before they realising that Hong Kong was only trading in existing
stocks.
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By 29 March Dr Leakey, head of the Wildlife Service
was able to tell the Kenya Times that poaching was no longer
worthwhile because the lack of markets had forced the price
of raw ivory so low.
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4. Of the 358 tonnes of ivory which could be exported from Hong Kong during the Reservation only
tonnes were
exported because of the collapse of the world market. The
remainder will stay in Hong Kong for local sale. Workers
have been retrained etc
A comprehensive
hensive scheme for placing and re-treeining ex-ivory workers is under way, to place sans in new jobs cend to provide vocational training courses in a wicke JE4AAD range of new of
acccupations for others.
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