Ivory - Robin des Bois Press release

[Guest guest]

*Beijing 2008 : rings made of ivory*

 

31st July, 2008

 

On 16th July, 2008 in Geneva, three weeks before the opening of the Olympic

Games, China was given authorization to act as a commercial licensed partner

within the legal elephant ivory traffic. Thus, the biggest black market for

ivory in the world will consolidate its position. Thousands of ivory

retailers throughout China can hold their heads up high as they cooly

welcomed the tourists of olympic games. Within a couple of months according

to the CITES program *(**Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species* of Wild Fauna and Flora*)*, the price of 108 t of ivory stocks

auctionned by South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe is expected to

increase after China's accreditation, Japan being till now the only legal

candidate. As a matter of fact, little legal ivory is sufficient to launder

a lot of illicit ivory and there is no doubt the price of ivory will

skyrocket after China's entry into ivory stock exchange. South Africa and

their neighbours applaude but 27 African states are angry and fear an

upsurge of poaching. Moreover the Zimbabwean dictator Mugabe will exchange

with China more ammunitions for ivory as he has already done. This vote

officially opens the doors of international ivory trade to more than one

billion potential buyers without taking into account the threats of

extinction of wild African and Indian elephants.

 

Faithful to their anarchic vision of international trade, Great Britain and

Bulgaria, on behalf of the European Union and under the pressure of Germany

voted in favor of China's claim. France residing the Presidence of the

European Union did nothing to oppose the vote. This is a political stance

inside an ecological purpose built international instrument. It aims to calm

the Chinese authorities. In a way it can be said that the elephants

counterbalance the Dalai Lama or that ivory is used as a move to facilitate

under these critical diplomatic circumstances the export to China of nuclear

or aeronautical equipments and machine tools. The European Commission has

lost its sense of direction : to trade with China, they decided to sacrifice

African elephants. The EU position is partly founded on the optimistic

comments of a three day survey in China by a three deputies chief clerks

delegation of the German Ministry of Environment. At the French Ministry it

is stated that « all guarantees have been obtained from China concerning the

management of legal stockpiled ivory ». The traceability of ivory would be

perfect. CITES itself adds its piece of serenity : on behalf of its 173

member states, the international organisation considers the infamous death

sentence imposed to ivory smugglers as the upmost proof of China's

seriousness in this field.

 

Japan and Iceland voted in favor of China's claim. Both states can more than

ever rely on China for a support within the International Whaling

Commission.

 

 

 

(Dessins Bruno Congar / Robin des Bois)

 

 

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