CITES Standing Committee's Decision on Ivory Sales Announced

The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) has announced that the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has approved exports of elephant ivory from Botswana (20 tons of ivory), Namibia (10 tons) and South Africa (30 tons) at its 55th meeting held in the Hague on June 2, 2007.
The Standing Committee has also decided that Japan has sufficiently established strong domestic trade control systems to be granted the status of a trading partner allowed to import the approved ivory. The trade is approved under the condition of one-time shipment, and the income from the trade will be used for programs to support the conservation of elephants and the local communities in the area.

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