Botswana President Ian Khama has said that Botswana will not support its Southern African neighbours’ bids at an upcoming UN conference to allow sales of ivory, Reuters reports.
“We need to keep elephants on Appendix I so that there’s no trade in ivory," he said in an interview.
Opponents are concerned that if ivory trade is allowed, even from stockpiles and as a once-off, it would send a signal that it is socially acceptable, which could spur demand and further poaching.
Botswana will be joining Kenya and other African nations seeking to end the trade completely at the Conference of the Parties (CoP17) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), taking place in Johannesburg from September 24-October 5.
