THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT - CONSERVATION AND CITES

Human beings have been making (and almost certainly trading in) ivory artefacts for some 10,000 years. Yet it is only 8 years since the Part ies to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CI TES) placed a complete ban on international trade in elephant products by listing the African elephant Loxodonta africana on Appendix I at L ausanne in 1989. Nevertheless, at the 10th Conference of the Parties t o CITES in Harare this coming June, the listing will be challenged aga in by three of the Southern African countries who originally opposed i t. This article describes what has happened on the ground since 1989, the political developments, examines the downlisting proposals, and lo oks at possible ways forward in the short- and medium-term. The views expressed are personal to the author.