SA to Sell 30 Tons of Ivory to Japan
South Africa stands to make R40 million from the imminent sale of 30 of the 50 tons of stockpiled ivory in the Kruger National Park.
SANParks chief executive David Mabunda said the profit from the tusks, warehoused since 1992, would be "one of the benefits of good management". The ivory is to be sold to Japan.
Last week, a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) in The Hague approved once-off exports of elephant ivory from Botswana (20 tons), Namibia (10 tons) and South Africa.
Mabunda was speaking on the sidelines of the launch on Wednesday of South Africa's newest national park.
The Mokala National Park, outside Kimberley, was officially opened by Environmental Affairs Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk.
A haven for endangered species such as tsessebe and roan antelope, the park would be a sanctuary for the "drifter and the safari-goer", according to PW Saaiman, the Northern Cape MEC for Economic Affairs, Tourism, Environment and Conservation.
Van Schalkwyk said the park, which replaces the Vaalbos Nature Reserve as the country's 22nd-largest, was one of several new reserves set to open in the next few years.
The name Mokala refers to the protected camelthorn trees that abound in the area.
"Our objective is to have as many people as possible come to the country because every eight to 10 tourists create one job. We want to have 10 million tourists by 2010," Van Schalkwyk said.
Nearly 870 giraffes, black and white rhinos, several species of buck, and other animals have been transferred to the park from Vaalbos.
Mabunda said that following Cites' decision to allow the once-off ivory sale from Africa to Japan, South Africa would be selling 30 tons of tusks, likely to fetch between R30m and R40m.
Cites officials would regulate the process from the source to the market to ensure no illegal ivory "sneaked in", he said.
The Cites trade ban debate had focused in part on the need to ensure a market was not created so "poachers don't butcher our elephants".
"It will be a controlled sale. We need money for conservation," Mabunda said.
But animal activists are outraged and say the compromise deal they say was a "dishonest political ploy" by the department of environment affairs.
Animal Rights Africa spokesperson Steve Smit said the department appeared to be swayed by commercial interests that gave "no consideration to the rights and welfare of elephants".
"Over the years South Africa has been given Cites permission to sell ivory on condition that the money goes into conservation," he said. "This has not happened and is not likely to happen now. Moreover, no monitoring mechanism is in place.
"We are under no illusion but that the government will push to resume culling to replenish its ivory stockpile."
SANParks chief executive David Mabunda said the profit from the tusks, warehoused since 1992, would be "one of the benefits of good management". The ivory is to be sold to Japan.
Last week, a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) in The Hague approved once-off exports of elephant ivory from Botswana (20 tons), Namibia (10 tons) and South Africa.
Mabunda was speaking on the sidelines of the launch on Wednesday of South Africa's newest national park.
The Mokala National Park, outside Kimberley, was officially opened by Environmental Affairs Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk.
A haven for endangered species such as tsessebe and roan antelope, the park would be a sanctuary for the "drifter and the safari-goer", according to PW Saaiman, the Northern Cape MEC for Economic Affairs, Tourism, Environment and Conservation.
Van Schalkwyk said the park, which replaces the Vaalbos Nature Reserve as the country's 22nd-largest, was one of several new reserves set to open in the next few years.
The name Mokala refers to the protected camelthorn trees that abound in the area.
"Our objective is to have as many people as possible come to the country because every eight to 10 tourists create one job. We want to have 10 million tourists by 2010," Van Schalkwyk said.
Nearly 870 giraffes, black and white rhinos, several species of buck, and other animals have been transferred to the park from Vaalbos.
Mabunda said that following Cites' decision to allow the once-off ivory sale from Africa to Japan, South Africa would be selling 30 tons of tusks, likely to fetch between R30m and R40m.
Cites officials would regulate the process from the source to the market to ensure no illegal ivory "sneaked in", he said.
The Cites trade ban debate had focused in part on the need to ensure a market was not created so "poachers don't butcher our elephants".
"It will be a controlled sale. We need money for conservation," Mabunda said.
But animal activists are outraged and say the compromise deal they say was a "dishonest political ploy" by the department of environment affairs.
Animal Rights Africa spokesperson Steve Smit said the department appeared to be swayed by commercial interests that gave "no consideration to the rights and welfare of elephants".
"Over the years South Africa has been given Cites permission to sell ivory on condition that the money goes into conservation," he said. "This has not happened and is not likely to happen now. Moreover, no monitoring mechanism is in place.
"We are under no illusion but that the government will push to resume culling to replenish its ivory stockpile."
posted by Kruger2Canyons.com at
Friday, June 22, 2007
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