THREE African governments lobbying for controlled trade in elephant ivory have called for a secret vote on the issue at a crucial conservation conference which opened in the Zimbabwean capital yesterday.
Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe who argue they have too many elephants, and have poor rural communities that need ivory revenue say sympathetic countries would have difficulty voting publicly in the face of opposition from the United States and other powerful countries.
The secret vote issue is the most controversial of the more than 90 resolutions covering trade in endangered animal and plant species, to be voted on by the 10th conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The out-come may determine the fate of the African elephant, and the future of whales, tigers, bears and mahogany trees.
"A secret ballot is needed to allow poor African countries to vote freely without fear of pressure from the wealthy western donor countries," said a Zimbabwean delegate.
On the other side, numerous pressure groups, such as Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund and the Humane Society oppose a secret ballot of the convention's 138-member countries, and the African move to allow controlled trade in ivory.
"There is a real danger the CITES parties will make some very harmful decisions," said Mr James Gillies of Greenpeace. "If they reduce the level of protection for species of great biological and symbolic importance, such as whales and elephants, it could open the floodgates for wildlife trade, both legal and illegal."
More than 1,500 participants have converged on Harare to do battle. Four hundred non-governmental organisations are registered to put forward their viewpoints.
Zimbabwe has 60,000 elephants, when its parks can provide a sustainable environment for only 30,000. The government and several private organisations argue that controlled hunting and sale of ivory will provide funds to manage the surviving population properly.
A key part of the argument is the Campfire programme, which channels the proceeds from hunting and ivory sales directly back to the rural peasants who live alongside the elephants.
Elephants destroy the crops of these subsistence farmers, and nearly 20 landers each year are killed by elephants. Unless these farmers can see an economic benefit from elephants they will allow them to be illegally killed by poachers.
If ivory could be sold, Zimbabwe argues, rural communities would have more money to pay for local schools, clinics and other facilities.
Conservation groups say the world ivory ban, imposed by CITES in 1990, has a proven record of stifling demand for ivory and dramatically reducing elephant poaching.
AFP adds:
Officials at the Mpumalanga park in South Africa called yesterday for big cat hunting to be regulated to avoid some of the abuses seen at private game reserves.
The SAPA news agency quoted the Mpumalanga Parks Board as saying in a report that a ban should be imposed on hunts carried out in vehicles and in reserves that are smaller than 1,000 hectares.
The board said that in order to have a "fair hunt," big cats like lions, pumas, and panthers must have completely free movement must be in a natural environment and have an opportunity to escape or defend themselves.
The board's suggestions come following the airing of a programme that depicted how some private game parks dope animals or release them from captivity in order to make them an easy prey for hunters.