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Namibia: Ivory Money Key to Jumbo Benefits
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The Namibian (Windhoek)
22 July 2008
Posted to the web 22 July 2008
Absalom Shigwedha
All the revenue Namibia will generate from the sale of ivory to either China or Japan will be used exclusively for elephant conservation and local communities living alongside elephants.
This was spelled out yesterday by Environment and Tourism Permanent Secretary Dr Kalumbi Shangula, who has just returned from the 57th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee in Geneva, Switzerland.
The meeting approved China as a buyer of ivory from four southern African countries that CITES had allowed to auction off their stockpiles of ivory.
Japan was allowed to import ivory in 2006.
"Namibia will pay the proceeds into the Game Products Trust Fund which supports wildlife conservation and community development programmes," said Shangula.
He said Namibia welcomed the approval of China to trade in ivory because having two trading partners would possibly lead to higher prices at the auction.
The CITES Conference of Parties held in the Netherlands last year permitted Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe to make a single sale of all government-owned stocks of ivory.
Namibia was permitted to sell nine tonnes of ivory, Botswana 44 tonnes, South Africa 51 tonnes and Zimbabwe 4 tonnes, adding up to 108 tonnes.
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After the one-off auction, the countries will not be allowed to export ivory again for nine years.
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