WASHINGTON - In advance of the upcoming Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting in Santiago, Chile next month, 53 Members of Congress have written the Bush Administration to urge it to oppose any proposals that would allow for the international trade of elephant ivory, other elephant parts, or live elephants from Africa.

In a bi-partisan letter to Craig Manson, leader of the U.S. delegation to CITES, the lawmakers also encouraged the Administration to seek alternatives that will support African people and African elephants without increasing elephant poaching, illegal ivory trade and stockpiling of ivory.

“Under the current circumstances of rampant poaching and illegal trade, we believe that the United States, as a leader in global conservation efforts, has no choice but to vigorously oppose any proposal that would permit additional commercial sales of ivory or otherwise relax trade in elephant parts, products, or live elephants,” the lawmakers wrote. “The United States delegation to CITES must encourage other CITES Parties to oppose these proposals with equal determination.”

The letter was organized by Congressman George Miller (D-CA), a noted environmental advocate in Congress with a long history of involvement in CITES issues and in international conservation efforts. He was a congressional observer at two CITES meetings, in 1997 and 2000, and he authored the Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000, which is helping to fund international efforts to restore great ape populations.

In 1989, parties to CITES voted to ban the commercial trade in elephant products following a decline in the elephant population from 1.3 million to approximately 600,000. This U.S.- led effort dramatically decreased African elephant poaching and CITES members went on to reject efforts to restore ivory trade in 1992 and 1994.

In 1997, despite U.S. opposition, parties to CITIES agreed to allow a one-time sale of stockpiled ivory from three African countries to Japan. Since that time, elephant range states have reported that elephant poaching and illegal ivory trade have increased, old illegal ivory trade routes have reopened, and the black market price for ivory has increased.

At the upcoming CITES conference, to be held November 3 through 15, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia will attempt to once again renew the commercial trade in ivory.

“Our goal should be to combine our commitments to the conservation of African wildlife with support for the legitimate concerns of local governments for the welfare of their own populations. We believe that this objective is achievable and that the United States can and must play a central role in such an effort,” Miller and his colleagues concluded. “We respectfully request that the Administration reconfirm its opposition to the resumption of the trade of ivory, other elephant parts, and live animals, and advise the Congress of its policies no later than September 31, 2002.”

The full text of Miller’s letter follows.

The Honorable Craig Manson
Assistant Secretary
Fish and Wildlife and Parks
US Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240

Dear Mr. Manson:

We are writing to urge you, as the leader of the United States delegation to the twelfth Conference of the Parties on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), to oppose any proposals that would allow for the international trade of elephant ivory, other elephant parts, or live elephants. Instead, we encourage you to seek alternative solutions that will support African people and African elephants without increasing elephant poaching, illegal ivory trade and stockpiling of ivory.

As you are well aware, in the years prior to the placement of the African elephant on Appendix I of CITES in 1989, the illegal slaughter of elephants was occurring at such a high rate that the continent-wide population was cut from 1.3 million to approximately 600,000. Wide scale elephant poaching created enormous instability, draining government resources in efforts to combat it and greatly impacting important tourism economies. The widely supported adoption of the ban on ivory trade by CITES Parties in 1989 halted the costly ivory wars and provided the mechanism through which African elephants began their slow but promising recovery.

Since the adoption of the ban, the United States has consistently opposed a resumption of the trade of ivory, elephant parts, or live animals at successive CITES Conferences of the Parties. In addition, as an alternative to commercial trade of ivory, we have contributed significant economic resources to support elephant conservation measures through the African Elephant Conservation Act.

In 1997, despite U.S. opposition, proposals were adopted to allow a one-time sale of ivory tusks from Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Since that time, there has been world-wide concern that elephant security in Africa and Asia has seriously eroded. Many elephant range States have reported that elephant poaching and illegal ivory trade have increased, old illegal ivory trade routes have reopened, and that the black market price for ivory has risen. Specifically, in Kenya, which lost 85% of its elephants in the ten years before the 1989 ban, poaching has increased five-fold in Tsavo National Park, that country’s elephant strong-hold. Over 13 tons of ivory have been seized around the world in 1998 and 1999; there have been several very large seizures of illegal ivory, including October, 1999, seizures of 2 metric tons in Dubai and 1.5 metric tons in Taiwan. As a result of these disclosures, at the 2000 CITES meeting a consensus was reached among the countries in Africa and Asia that elephants inhabit that there should be no further trade in elephant ivory. Yet despite the fact that the majority of elephant range states in Africa and Asia support maintaining the global ivory trade ban, a small minority of Southern African countries, including Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, are now requesting commercial ivory trade.

Under the current circumstances of rampant poaching and illegal trade, we believe that the United States, as a leader in global conservation efforts, has no choice but to vigorously oppose any proposal that would permit additional commercial sales of ivory or otherwise relax trade in elephant parts, products, or live elephants. The United States delegation to CITES must encourage other CITES Parties to oppose these proposals with equal determination.

Moreover, a central focus of the United States’ efforts should be to support strategies that promote greater harmony and cooperation among the range states and throughout Africa in general. It is not sufficient for us to only declare our support or opposition for various resolutions. We should also advocate actions that protect species and promote sound development and improvement in the lives of millions of people, including economic incentives for elephant conservation and monitoring programs.

Additional commercial ivory sales are not the answer. Although Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe reportedly earned US$5 million from the sale of their ivory stockpiles to Japan, such sales only provide incentive to poachers that more avenues for the laundering of illegal ivory may soon be open. Without a long term moratorium on commercial ivory sales and stringent assurances that economic support is being used for elephant programs, the conservation goals of CITES will continue to be undermined.

Our goal should be to combine our commitments to the conservation of African wildlife with support for the legitimate concerns of local governments for the welfare of their own populations. We believe that this objective is achievable and that the United States can and must play a central role in such an effort. We respectfully request that the Administration reconfirm its opposition to the resumption of the trade of ivory, other elephant parts, and live animals, and advise the Congress of its policies no later than September 31, 2002.

Thank you for your attention to this request, and thank you again for your clear and firm commitment in the past to a moratorium on the trade of ivory, other elephant parts, and live animals. We stand ready to further assist you in supporting your efforts on this important matter.

Sincerely,

REPRESENTATIVE GEORGE MILLER
REP. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS
REP. JIM MCDERMOTT
REP. PETER A. DEFAZIO
REP. EARL BLUMENHAUER
REP. LYNN C. WOOLSEY
REP. DALE E. KILDEE
REP. BARNEY FRANK
REP. BARBARA LEE
REP. JOHN W. OLVER
REP. MICHAEL F. DOYLE
REP. PHIL ENGLISH
REP. JAMES C. GREENWOOD
REP. WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT
REP. HENRY A. WAXMAN
REP. ANNA G. ESHOO
REP. EDOLPHUS TOWNS
REP. FRANK A. LOBIONDO
REP. MICHAEL R. MCNULTY
REP. DAVID E. BONIOR
REP. ELANOR HOLMES NORTON
REP. PATRICK J. KENNEDY
REP. GENE GREEN
REP. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH
REP. JOEL HEFLEY
REP. ELLEN O. TAUSCHER
REP. BOB FILNER
REP. FRANK PALLONE JR.
REP. ADAM B. SCHIFF
REP. CAROLYN C. KILPATRICK
REP. JAMES A. LEACH
REP. CURT WELDON
REP. SHERROD BROWN
REP. BERNARD SANDERS
REP. PETER DEUTSCH
REP. JAMES P. MCGOVERN
REP. WALTER B. JONES
REP. MICHAEL M. HONDA
REP. JOHN M. MCHUGH
REP. FORTNEY PETE STARK
REP. ROBERT A. BORSKI
REP. ZOE LOFGREN
REP. SAM FARR
REP. LOIS CAPPS
REP. CYNTHIA A. MCKINNEY
REP. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY
REP. PATRICK J. TIBERI
REP. PETER T. KING
REP. TAMMY BALDWIN
REP. WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI
REP. CONSTANCE A. MORELLA
REP. ED WHITFIELD
REP. STEVEN C. LATOURETTE
REP. MAURICE E. HINCHEY
REP. SHELLEY BERKLEY