-time sale as part of a hard-fought compromise with the two nations that had tried to block the move.
The arrangement authorises Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana to empty government stocks in a single sale to countries approved by the convention. Future sales will be frozen for nine years after the sale goes through.
The long-running global debate over the African elephant has focused on the benefits that income from ivory sales may bring to conservation and to local communities living side by side with elephants and concerns that such sales may encourage poaching.
In March, Kenya and Mali proposed that CITES impose a 20-year ban quota on trade in raw or worked ivory from Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The two nations argued that allowing any trade in ivory would increase the poaching of elephants.
This could have seen Zimbabwe losing about US$15 million it makes annually in elephant hunting. – CAJ News