Proposals to resume ivory sales have been shot down at a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, held in Switzerland.
A CITES statement said the two proposals under consideration on Thursday would have resulted in the resumption of ivory sales by amending the CITES Appendices for the African elephant.
One proposal related to the classification of elephants in Zambia, but this amendment was roundly defeated in a vote.
The second proposal would have enabled South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe to resume trade in registered raw ivory.
"Proposal 11 was amended on the floor to provide for a single sale of ivory stockpiles from those four countries to parties verified by CITES with a six-year moratorium after that sale on any further sales," the statement said.
However, it said the second amended proposal was defeated by a vote of 101 to 23 with 18 abstentions.
