Environmentalists and animal lovers perceive a grave threat to the future of the African wild elephant population after China was granted permission to become a licenced buyer of ivory from Africa.
In a recently concluded meeting of the UN’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), China was given the right to buy ivory auctioned by four African countries, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. China won by 9 votes to 2 on its approved buyer status with Britain voting in its favour. However, Britain’s vote of approval to China has come under severe criticism not only from several African countries but also from within the country with several MPs threatening to table a protest motion against the Government for supporting China in the vote. More than 150 MPs of all parties had signed a cross-party motion calling for the Government not to vote for China to be given a licence to trade in ivory.
China has the dubious status of being the center of the world’s largest illegal ivory trade and environmentalists fear that even though the EU accepts that China had met the criteria established for trading legally held ivory stock, the entry of China into the market will provide a opportunity for the laundering of illegal ivory, and will encourage further poaching across Africa, where more than 20,000 elephants are slaughtered at the hands of poachers every year.
China’s legal ivory trading status has puts the fate of the remaining African elephants in jeopardy.
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Via: Independent