In An Age Of Extinction, How Can Canada Curb Its Ivory Trade?

[Hoas]

In an age of extinction, how can Canada curb its ivory trade?

Canada is considering cracking down on the trade of African elephant ivory, but is asking Canadians to weigh in on how far it should go.

www.nationalobserver.com

Canada is considering cracking down on the trade of African elephant ivory but is asking Canadians to weigh in on how far it should go.

Over the past 40 years, the African elephant population has fallen an estimated 70 percent, from 1.3 million to a little more than 400,000 today. Human activity is driving the population collapse, from direct threats like poaching to climate change. It’s estimated 25,000 to 50,000 African elephants are poached each year. As of March, the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers African savanna elephants endangered, and African forest elephants critically endangered.

“We are looking to bring in stricter measures,” said Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson. “They could range from a focus specifically on hunting trophies, it could be looking at those countries that are non-compliant with (the Convention on International Trade of Wild Flora and Fauna in Endangered Species, or CITES) ... or it could simply be a broad prohibition on the trade of elephant ivory.”

 

[machinistbutler]

I hope they do not plan on banning import of legally hunted elephant. That cannot do anything but hurt the elephant conservation effort .

 

[BRICKBURN]

AH, the march against science and move to copy ignorance and discrimination.

"The self-described progressive news organization"

Previous measures of the Editors/Authors:
Corcoran said that Livesey was "a master of the inappropriate juxtaposition of fact and conclusion", and the National Observer was a "left-wing Vancouver online magazine".

 

[Rocked and Loaded]

Does Canada actually contribute to the poaching problem in a serious way or is this just another “we have to do something” situation?

 

[BRICKBURN]

Smoke a mirrors

 

[NE 7x57]

When I lament the mess that is the current government in the US, I take a moment and reflect on the shit show government of Canada and realize that's probably where we're headed. Either that or toward the failed nation to the south. Sobering thought really.

 

[BourbonTrail]

I’m surprised/disappointed that “Symphony of Destruction” doesn’t play when opening the article.

I like how they list the 200 some odd import permits, over 5 years, after listing the supposedly 50k poached elephants annually. I also like how that 0.1% is implied some kind of substantive amount.

Canada is clearly why we can’t have nice things.

 

[BRICKBURN]

′′ Who are these people who trample African constitutions and laws? Why do they put animal rights above the human rights of us Africans?"
In this video, Esther Netshivhongweni, the female chief of the ′′ Makuya Hunting Community ′′ in South Africa, and South African journalist Emmanuel Koro demand: Animal rights organizations like Born Free Foundation should have to answer to the International Court of Justice. Her accusation: ecocolonialism through western anti-hunting campaigns.


MAKUYA’S INSPIRATIONAL FIGHT TO SAVE ITS HUNTING CULTURE

Inspired by its court victory to save its hunting culture, Limpopo-based Makuya hunting community has now called upon other Southern African communities to join it in the “The Mother Of All Battles For Ivory Trade.”
______________________

by Emmanuel Koro

In most Southern African rural communities, including South Africa’s Limpopo Province-based Makuya hunting community, hunting revenue promotes wildlife and habitat conservation. It also reduces rural poverty.

Sadly, the Makuya hunting culture faces local and foreign threats.

In 2019, a Limpopo Provincial Government Department that issues hunting licences singled out Makuya and shockingly cancelled its hunting licence, without explanation.

Esther Netshivhongweni is Africa’s only known black woman, actively involved with hunting. She explains the Makuya hunting licence cancellation losses and how she led the media and court fight to save their hunting culture.
Strained relations with a provincial government agency. Excellent relations with the national government. This is Makuya’s curious situation. This year, the National Department of Environment Forest and Fisheries (DEFF) is releasing a US$3 million grant for the construction of the Makuya Wildlife Training College and the Makuya Nature Reserve conservation projects and infrastructural development.

The ownership of natural wealth can be a blessing and a curse. Commercial forces are reportedly seeking to control and loot Makuya’s rich natural resources.

Foreign interference is another threat. The Western animal rights groups are said to have strong anti-wild-trade influence over the UN international wild trade regulating agency, CITES.

Therefore, Makuya invites wildlife-rich Southern African rural communities to join them in taking to the International Court of Justice, the brave fight against the Western animal rights groups’ violation of Africans’ constitutionally protected rights to hunt and benefit from the ivory trade. The COVID-19 pandemic hit – and cash-strapped Africans wish to use the wild trade revenue to conserve the continent’s iconic species and habitats.

The last option is to show the world how the Western animal rights group- influenced wild trade bans, and taught Africans to convert national parks into crop and mining fields.

https://drive.google.com/…/1rNotQu5ZkIVbKn5ipqclP6…/view
Script Writer: Emmanuel Koro – February 2021

 

[sgt_zim]

I don't believe their numbers are remotely accurate. Last I read, 400K seems low by about 200%

populations in surveyed areas was about 600K, and it is estimated that the unsurveyed areas (roughly the same size as that surveyed) hold about the same number of ele.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Don’t confuse the issue with facts.

 

[VonJager]

Population in Botswana and Zimbabwe make their 400,000 for the whole continent laughable.

 

[Rick Cox]

Don’t confuse the issue with facts.

Like the shut down of the grizzly hunt in BC. As I know you know, the government ignored the science and stated it was "No longer socially acceptable..."

 

[mark-hunter]

I don't believe their numbers are remotely accurate. Last I read, 400K seems low by about 200%

populations in surveyed areas was about 600K, and it is estimated that the unsurveyed areas (roughly the same size as that surveyed) hold about the same number of ele.

You are right.
Elephant population consists of savannah elephant and forest elephant.
Forest elephant can not be estimated so easy. There is no areal survey over forest areas, and many areas are unaccesable. So, basically real numbers are unknown and probably bigger then published.


Then

Next is: biggest consumers of illegal ivory are Hong Kong and China.
They are closing down Ivory trade (kept legal until recently), and supply for this market came from poaching.
So, this will reduce poaching in the future.

However, with human population growth, and encroachment, human-elephant conflict will still be there on african soil. In any case I predict easy but steady growth of elephant numbers.

Good News for Elephants: Major Ivory Market Will Close

Hong Kong's impending shutdown of legal ivory sales likely means less poaching of elephants for their tusks.

www.nationalgeographic.com

Two years after China bans elephant ivory trade, demand for elephant ivory is down

Two years ago this month, China took the monumental step of banning elephant ivory trade within the country. Dec. 31, 2017 was the last day it was legal to buy or sell ivory there.

www.worldwildlife.org

 

[PerH]

Its a form of neocolonialismn, if they cant rule a foreign country and its nature resources but the ones living there do so instead . Then they think its better to ruin that country instead of in all they ways they can.

 

[sgt_zim]

You are right.
Elephant population consists of savannah elephant and forest elephant.
Forest elephant can not be estimated so easy. There is no areal survey over forest areas, and many areas are unaccesable. So, basically real numbers are unknown and probably bigger then published.


Then

Next is: biggest consumers of illegal ivory are Hong Kong and China.
They are closing down Ivory trade (kept legal until recently), and supply for this market came from poaching.
So, this will reduce poaching in the future.

However, with human population growth, and encroachment, human-elephant conflict will still be there on african soil. In any case I predict easy but steady growth of elephant numbers.

Good News for Elephants: Major Ivory Market Will Close

Hong Kong's impending shutdown of legal ivory sales likely means less poaching of elephants for their tusks.

www.nationalgeographic.com

Two years after China bans elephant ivory trade, demand for elephant ivory is down

Two years ago this month, China took the monumental step of banning elephant ivory trade within the country. Dec. 31, 2017 was the last day it was legal to buy or sell ivory there.

www.worldwildlife.org

I believe they only surveyed a portion of the savannahs as well. I'd guess elephants in those areas have about the same population density as they have in the areas which were surveyed.

 

[flatwater bill]

Politicians must know that these laws have a negative effect on elephant numbers. The idea that "it is no longer socially acceptable may be a driving force.....FWB

 

[WilhelmM]

Like the shut down of the grizzly hunt in BC. As I know you know, the government ignored the science and stated it was "No longer socially acceptable..."

What makes this even more frustrating is that they're trying to do this on a foreign continent. Then they wonder why they're called out of depth or emotional. Neo-Colonialism still exists and it's not just China. Stuff like this fuels xenophobia towards first-world nations in Africa and they're totally clueless as to why it happens. Africans aren't inherently stupid. Sure, much of the continent is severely uneducated but it still has its respectable amount of intelligent people trying to make a difference. Yet they're barely even acknowledged.

 

[mark-hunter]

There is no lack of educated people.
The problem in many countries in Africa is corruption, this in many cases is stopping development in other areas. (education, public health, etc)

World corruption ranking.

Corruption Rank by Country

The Corruption Perceptions Index Rank (CPI Ranking) is published annually by Transparency International, a non-governmental organisation. A country or territory's rank indicates its position relative to the other countries and territories in the index.

tradingeconomics.com

Africa only, corruption ranking

Corruption Rank by Country | Africa

The Corruption Perceptions Index Rank (CPI Ranking) is published annually by Transparency International, a non-governmental organisation. A country or territory's rank indicates its position relative to the other countries and territories in the index.

tradingeconomics.com