CITES COP 17, JOHANNESBURG, October 4 (ANA) – South Africa appears to be swimming against the tide in regard to upgrading the protection status of a number of endangered species, with several environmentalists accusing Pretoria of treating its wildlife like “commercial livestockâ€.
“South Africa’s bottom line in regard to its wildlife appears to be the dollar and it’s using pseudo-science to back up its argument for opening up the ivory trade,†Masayuki Sakamoto, the executive director of the Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund (JTEF) told the African News Agency (ANA) during an interview.
South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia Monday afternoon refused to accept an African States’ consensus on the need to upgrade all African elephant populations to CITES Appendix I, the highest possible protection level which would enforce a complete ban on the international ivory trade.
Even a sudden about-turn by Botswana – which had previously sided with South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia in wanting a regulated market trade in ivory as outlined by CITES Appendix II – failed to persuade South Africa’s outspoken Minister of Environmental Affairs Dr Edna Molewa.
“South Africa will not support the proposal for all elephants to be upgraded to Appendix I under any circumstances,†Molewa told CITES parties as they continued to debate the ivory issue on Monday morning.
“This proposal is not backed by evidence which meets the scientific criteria of CITES and we will only make decisions based on a scientific approach,†said Molewa.
South Africa’s elephant population is increasing with the majority of African elephants found in the Kruger National Park.
“The area available to elephants hasn’t decreased either and we don’t know why this nonsense proposal is even being discussed due to its unscientific nature,†said Molewa.
She explained how the financial circumstances of disadvantaged communities surrounding wildlife areas was crucial to the debate and that these people didn’t want to be forcibly removed or taken back to a “dark time in the past†when apartheid made them second-class citizens.
Molewa said the economic welfare of these communities had to be complemented by sustainable wildlife management, boosted by eco-tourism, which contributed to conservation. The opposite approach would be detrimental to wildlife species, she said.
However, Sakamoto laid into Molewa’s approach saying South Africa appeared to be using a different science to that of CITES and the rest of the world, including most of the continent.
“South Africa, and several of its neighbours, treat wildlife as if it is commercial livestock, intensively managing it on that basis for commercial gain,†Sakamoto told ANA.
“However, countries opposing South Africa’s ivory stand are using a different science – based upon wildlife as a natural part of the environment. So there are two separate theories of science competing here with South Africa using its theory to support commercialisation,†said Sakamoto.
“Wildlife is not livestock, it has been part of earth’s evolution over the millennium and has its own ecology, behaviour and living patterns so should not be intensively managed like a fishery,†Sakamoto explained.
“Another important fact is a recent survey of elephant populations proves that the population of savannah elephants have decreased significantly over the years. This has motivated countries to move in a precautionary direction in saving African elephants.â€
Danielle Fest Grabiel, from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), said Molewa’s claims about South Africa’s elephant numbers being stable wasn’t that simple and neither did it take into consideration the situation in neighbouring countries.
“Elephants don’t care much about borders so even if South Africa’s numbers are high, this isn’t taking into account the fact that they could cross through porous borders to neighbouring countries which don’t have stable elephant populations,†Grabiel told ANA.
South Africa also locked horns with the US on upgrading protection for endangered African grey parrots several days ago with Washington calling for increased protection and accusing the world of failing the magnificent and intelligent bird, while Pretoria called for the continued trade in the species.
– African News Agency (ANA)
