Legalising International Trade in Rhino Horn ???

[Sprocky]

As long as .gov is as corrupt and greedy as they are now it will not be much help!

These plans would maybe work in a first world country, with first world implementation and control.

[Penga Ndlovu]

Don't kid yourself bud.

Not even there it would work.

Softdrugs are semi-legalised in the Netherlands and the selling of it is under control of the government and even there the illegal circuit is florashing.

[Penga Ndlovu]

Legalising rhino horn trade is dangerous: IFAW

Wednesday 24 July 2013 18:05SABCIFAW says that legalising rhino horn trading will worsen the situation.(SABC)

TAGS:

International Fund for Animal WelfareIFAWCzech RepublicJason BellCITES banRhino poachingThe International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) says proposals by South Africa to begin a legal trade in rhino horn, is extremely dangerous.The group was reacting to the arrest of 16 suspects in the Czech Republic in connection with wildlife trafficking.IFAW's Jason Bell says illegal trade alone is nudging rhinos to extinction.“I think South Africa's proposal is extremely naive. One must consider that we do not have any understanding of what demand looks like,” says Bell.He says that in the East for instance, one can go as far as to say that it is impossible to flood the Chinese market with rhino horn.“We believe that by putting rhino back into the marketplace through legal means all we will be doing is stimulating poaching and increasing demand,” added Bell.In May this year, Chairperson of Parliament's Environmental Affairs Portfolio Committee, Johnny de Lange, encapsulated government's thinking on legal trade in rhino horn when he told MPs that the 35-year CITES ban on such trade had not stopped poachers.He said that the data suggests that banning legal, open trade in rhino horn has not resulted in reduced demand for the horn and has not helped save the rhino from imminent extinction.De Lange said that the escalation in the slaughter of rhino is proof enough.Asian consumers simply did not believe that rhino horn had no medicinal value, no matter how many times it was said."Using increasingly sophisticated means, poaching syndicates have capitalised on the CITES ban to supply what appears to be a resurgent market demand," De Lange said.Legalising rhino horn trade for South Africa was "likely to shift the market out of the hands of organised crime into legal channels which must be good for rhino and other wildlife currently moving through these illicit channels".“A legal, large and steady supply of horns was also likely to lower and stabilise prices, which would play against the black market,” he said.

[Richprins]

DEA should request permission for
two auctions in 2013 to permit sales
of stockpiles to finance efforts to
fight poaching and increase ranges
Prepare requirements for submission to CITES for auctions
Hold auctions


Looks like it's going to happen, including an application to CITES this year.....

Eish! The wording is a bit confusing...so 2013 refers to this year's CITES meeting in March, and application will be made in 2016.

There is still a way of making an urgent application in between, I think!

[Sprocky]

There is still a way of making an urgent application in between, I think!

Maybe, but only those that stand to benefit financially would support any application!

[Toko]

No way! There are strict rules And it is not possible, it's not done with an application, Cites members must vote and this needs a COP.

[Duke]

My understanding is .gov will have to get a mojority of greater than two thirds out of about 175 nations that will vote at next CITES meeting in Cape Town in 2016. Further they have to identify who they are selling to and whether the buyer countries have controls in place (Vietnam and China - don't think so). We signed a Mou with Vietnam in December last year - the way poaching has gone this year that just seems like a piece of paper.

[Toko]

Two thirds of the Parties (signatories to CITES) will need to agree to the proposal, and some areas, such as the EU, vote as a bloc, making it essential to have their support.
Consultation with other range States of the species is a requirement – refer to Resolution Conf. 8.21
Any such application will need to be accompanied by reliable and valid population information as well as information pertaining to the proposed trading system and the monitoring and enforcement of this, the identification and approval of the trading partner, and a system for the application of funds raised in horn trade to conservation;
No proposal will be considered unless a) there is a national integrated permitting and data base system in place (to confirm legal origin) and b) a full list of stockpiles with DNA referencing complete;
The supporting statement from South Africa must include species and populations characteristics, status and trends, threats, utilisation and trade, review of legal and management systems and species management plans.
If a process similar to the African elephant is followed, a CITES Panel of Experts (PoE) could then be convened to verify the information provided in the proposal with reference to the viability and sustainability of the population and threats; South Africa’s ability to monitor the population; the effectiveness of current anti-poaching measures; South Africa’s ability to control the trade and; whether law enforcement is sufficient and effective, inter alia. Subsequent to information gathering, the PoE will report to the COP and a two thirds majority vote will be needed to approve the request.
The Parties meet every three years and the next meeting is in Thailand in March 2013. At this point, South Africa is unprepared to make any submission to amend its annotation to include trade in rhino horn. However, there is provision in the CITES agreement for representations to be made by a Party for changes to the listings outside of/in the time in between, the Conferences of the Parties (COP) meetings.


from here: under 8.1.1 RIM report

[Toko]

The supporting statement from South Africa must include species and populations characteristics, status and trends, threats, utilisation and trade, review of legal and management systems and species management plans.

I wonder if this not requires a proper species count

[Richprins]

Minister Molewa said they had found a trading partner a while ago, Duke. I think it's China.

I checked CITES' website this morning, and live white rhino are allowed to be traded. Many have been sent to China already.

The only other exception at the moment is trophies. Both above confined to SA and Swaziland only.