African states call for 20-year ban on ivory - AFP

Source: Agence France-Presse

African states call for 20-year ban on ivory

Tue Apr 24, 2:39 PM ET

PARIS (AFP) - African states called Tuesday for a 20-year ban on
trade in ivory to protect the continent's elephants from poachers
and possible extinction in the wild.

Kenya and Mali, which spearheaded the moratorium along with Togo
and Ghana, are seeking to have the measure adopted at the June
meeting of the 169-nation Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), their
representatives said at a meeting in Paris.

A delegation representing some 20 African nations, including the
Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger, will tour Europe this week
to secure backing from the European Union for the ban, they said.

"The elephants are dramatically becoming depleted," said Patrick
Omondi, head of species conservation and management at the
Kenya Wildlife Service. "A 20-year moratorium is necessary to
allow the population to recover, and to refine the mechanisms of
law enforcement."

The African representatives lashed out at partial bans and quotas
that have been implemented in the past.

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Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070424/sc_afp/environmentspecies_070424183944