CITES authorises sale of African ivory to Japan - AFP

Source: Agence France-Presse

CITES authorises sale of African ivory to Japan

Sat Jun 2, 4:10 PM ET

THE HAGUE (AFP) - The international body regulating trade in wildlife
on Saturday authorised the sale of 60 tonnes of African ivory to
Japan, in a controversial decision condemned by conservation groups.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora (CITES), which is meeting in The Hague on Sunday,
said it was confident Japan's controls were strong enough to stop it
being sold illegally.

An agreement over the sale of ivory stocks from Botswana (20 tonnes),
Namibia (10) and South Africa (30) was reached in 2002 but had to be
formally approved by the CITES permanent council.

The council required that a large database be set up on poaching and
elephant populations to measure the relationship between such
exceptional ivory sales and the behaviour of poachers.

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