IVORY TRADE

That this House registers its grave concern at the possible resumption of the ivory trade in 2004; recognises the serious consequences that any trade could have on elephant populations in both Africa and Asia; is aware that the recent large seizures of illegal ivory in Asia are most likely to have been caused by increased poaching stimulated by the discussion on re-opening trade; notes that ivory poaching is the main reason that Africa's elephant population plummeted from 1.3 million in 1980 to between 400,000 and 660,000 today; further notes that the proposals to allow Botswana, Namibia and South Africa to sell their ivory stockpiles could have been defeated if the 15 EU countries had voted against them rather than abstained in 2002; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to take an active role to oppose any international trade in ivory and support the conservation of elephants at the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Geneva this March and in the future.