Ivory Sales Remain Suspended
Source: The Herald (Harare)
Date: 28 December 2006
Author: Anon
Ivory sales remain suspended for the fifth month following the industry's failure to produce a proper working document to be used in the monitoring and regulation of ivory trade.
The development could have prejudiced the country of millions of dollars in exports as ivory sales contribute significantly to foreign currency generation.
The Parks and Wildlife Management Authority suspended, with immediate effect, the sale of ivory in July this year, saying trade could only resume after the authority and ivory dealers come up with a comprehensive working document.
The decision was reached after a meeting between the authority and the ivory dealers association where it was agreed that there was need to formulate an operational working guideline for the good of the industry.
A six-member committee comprising three members from each side, was set up to work on the document, but up to now, it is still to produce the paper.
The Parks authority chairs the committee while the Zimbabwe Ivory Manufacturers Association provides the secretariat.
Parks spokesperson, Retired Major Edward Mbewe said that ivory sales remained suspended.
When it suspended ivory sales in July, the authority said the drafting of a working document would create a better working system, making it possible for the authority to effectively monitor the activities of ivory dealers.
The authority noted that the current conditions and regulations governing ivory trade was so loose that it gave rise to a good number of unlicenced dealers, causing confusion on the market.
As such, the authority said, there was need to put in place a proper monitoring mechanism and stringent conditions that would ensure that all licenced ivory dealers adhere to the provisions of the law and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
It also emerged that as a result of the poor monitoring mechanism in ivory trade, Zimbabwe had become a major source of cheap ivory and that negatively impacted on the local ivory industry.