Scientists against proposed ivory auction

Researchers want science to take precedence over politics in decisions on elephants.

Anjali Nayar


Researchers are pushing for science to be given a bigger role in the debate over ivory sales.DigitalStock
Top elephant scientists are up in arms over the prospect of elephant-poaching hot spots in Africa being allowed to sell off their ivory stockpiles.

The proposals by Tanzania and Zambia to sell a combined 112 tonnes of ivory worth an estimated US$17.5 million will be tabled during the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Doha, Qatar, on 13–25 March. Despite the two nations' poor track records in elephant protection, conservationists are worried that the proposals could be accepted because of an ongoing CITES debate over how best to manage elephant populations.

Some countries favour auctions because they bring in revenue, which is needed to sustain protection programmes. Others worry that one-off sales risk stimulating the illegal ivory trade, and ignore the reality of the burgeoning demand from the middle classes in Asia for ivory products such as seals and ornamental tusks.

In a paper published today in Science1, lead author Samuel Wasser, head of the Center for Conservation Biology at the University of Washington in Seattle, and more than 20 other elephant researchers argue for a bigger role for science in CITES decisions about elephant conservation.

"Politics seems to be driving the debate," says Wasser. "CITES has become so caught up in this debate of sustainable versus unsustainable use that the argument is blinding decisions that should be based on science."

more
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100311/full/news.2010.46.html

Help drive the prices down.