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Sifelani Tsiko
Agric, Environment & Innovations Editor
Zimbabwe plans to host an Elephant Summit in April to discuss the growing burden of elephant overpopulation and the negative impact of the long-existing ban on international trade in elephant ivory.
Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndhlovu told delegates at the just-ended fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya that Zimbabwe was planning to organise the summit focusing on wildlife in Victoria Falls at the end of April 2022.
He said Kenya and other southern African countries would be invited.
Minister Ndhlovu said Zimbabwe in collaboration with Kenya, Botswana and other southern African countries were seeking sustainable utilisation and community beneficiation as a priority possible outcome.
The linkages of wildlife, their management, and revenues are also key to economic contribution in the participating countries.
Zimbabwe and other southern African countries were keen to review a variety of modalities on the management of ivory stockpiles such as ways of compensation for their stock storage.
The countries also want to come up with a harmonised position with regards to the Conference of Parties meeting especially with the upcoming COP 27 to be held in Egypt.
In 2019, Zimbabwe hosted a wildlife summit where the hunting ban issue was discussed and calls were made for the lifting of the trade in ivory and ivory products.
Zimbabwe and its neighbours are still pressing for the down-listing of the Southern Africa elephant populations from CITES Appendix 1.
Species listed under this criteria are those considered to be “threatened with extinction” and cannot be traded.
In 2019, again, Botswana hosted the Kasane Summit which saw four presidents from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and the host, coming together to speak out in support of the sustainable utilisation of wildlife principle.
The planned Elephant Summit is expected to set the tone towards a common southern African vision for the management of elephants.
Western countries and animal rights groups have largely opposed trade in ivory and ivory products pushing their countries to slap a ban on trade in ivory.
Zimbabwe has been consistent in its fight to defend the principle of sustainable utilisation because this remains the major source of funding for conservation.
The country wants attention to be devoted more to the need to benefit local people in poaching areas as this gives the local communities a reason to support the fight against poaching rather than having to rely on it for their livelihoods.
Southern African nations including Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia have for years been battling the global wildlife trade regulator to grant them rights to sell ivory acquired through natural deaths, confiscations and culling.
The countries are home to the world’s largest elephant population.
Southern Africa is home to half of Africa’s elephants and Zimbabwe’s population of more than 84 000 against a carrying capacity of 40 000, is only second to that of Botswana in the world.
Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa benefited from their stockpiles in 2008 when Cites approved a once-off ivory sale to China and Japan.
Other sales in these countries took place in 1999 and 2008 and earned some US$20 million for elephant conservation and community development programmes in and around the elephant range areas.
Zimbabwe and some Sadc countries are concerned about the negative consequences of a ban on trophy hunting, ivory trade and destruction of stockpiles.
The general sentiment in these countries – which have the largest herds of elephants and other wild animals in the world – is that by being denied the right to trade in the products of some of these animals under CITES, they are in effect being punished for the success of their conservation efforts.
Online Reporter