THE RHINOCEROS IN AFRICA (Hansard, 23 January 1980)

The EARL of SELKIRK
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

§ Lord MOWBRAY and STOURTON
My Lords, the rhinoceros is already listed on Appendix I of the convention as being in danger of extinction. Commercial trade in it and its readily recognisable parts and derivatives should therefore have stopped in and between states party to the convention. Since not all party states enforce controls on by-products to the same degree, usually due to differing views on what is readily recognisable, the United Kingdom, with Switzerland and the Federal Republic of Germany, prepared a list of parts and derivatives, including rhinoceros horn, which all parties would be expected to control. This was considered by the convention at its meeting in Costa Rica last March, but was not adopted. The United Kingdom has prohibited imports and exports of rhinoceros and their horns since 1976, except where otherwise permitted under the convention.

The EARL of SEKLIRK
My Lords, are the Government aware that in Kenya, as one example, in the last decade something in the order of 90 per cent. of the rhinoceros population has been killed by human agency, and this is directly due to international trade? Is the noble Lord saying that the convention is not much more than a facade? Can the noble Lord not arouse interest among Commonwealth members and members of the European Economic Community to recognise the significance of this development?

§ Lord MOWBRAY and STOURTON
My Lords, my noble friend is quite right; there has been an increase. The legal trade from Kenya in rhinoceros is believed to be less than the illegal trade. However, in fairness to our Commonwealth colleague, Kenya, I must say that the Government there has not only signed the convention but has ratified it. I have every belief that they are doing their best to stamp out this illegal trade. Furthermore, I should like to tell my noble friend and 438 the House that the Minister for Overseas Development discussed this problem also with the Ugandan and Tanzanian authorities during his recent visit to East Africa, and made clear the concern felt in this country. They also shared our concern, and indicated that this trade should be stamped out. We are continuing to take every advantage of appropriate opportunities to encourage adherence to the Washington Convention. Perhaps your Lordships might like to be told that next week the standing committee of the Washington Convention, and the technical experts of the countries party to the convention, are both meeting in Bonn.

§ Lord MELCHETT
My Lords, while welcoming, as I am sure all noble Lords do, the action that the Government have taken, may I ask whether the noble Lord would agree that the list of readily recognisable parts and derivatives which he mentioned was drawn up very largely with the help of the voluntary bodies in this country? Will the Government now take note of the widespread concern of the voluntary bodies that the Customs are not giving the priority in this country that they should to controlling the import of parts of endangered species? Would the noble Lord agree that, while the developed countries, and this country in particular, do not give a sufficient priority to controlling such imports, it is a little unfair to point the finger at developing countries such as Kenya and say that they ought to take further steps to control illegal trade?

§ Lord MOWBRAY and STOURTON
My Lords, I am not clear that I understood the noble Lord. Did I hear him say that it was the Customs in this country which were partly at fault?

§ Lord MELCHETT
Yes, my Lords. Is the noble Lord aware that the voluntary bodies have been saying to his department, the Department of the Environment, for many years that the Customs in this country have not been giving the priority to controlling this illegal trade that they should?

§ Lord MOWBRAY and STOURTON
My Lords, I hear what the noble Lord says, and I have every respect for his intelligence and knowledge. I must confess that it is contrary to what I am 439 given to understand. I am given to understand that the Customs and Excise here check that the appropriate documentation is always available at the time of import and export and do inspect consignments. Further checks and documentation are also made by the Department of the Environment, as management authority—as the noble Lord well knows—responsible for our import and export licensing. I detect in our Department of the Environment no looseness of feeling on this. There seems to be a general agreement everywhere with everyone I have talked to that they want to do their best, but we have the feeling that the main looseness in operation is not in this country either in the selling or the buying.

§ Lord BLYTON
My Lords, does not the noble Lord think that the Government ought to be engaged in preventing the rhinoceros of unemployment, inflation, high prices, trade union activism, and the whole of the rest of it that is creating havoc in this country?

§ Lord MOWBRAY and STOURTON
My Lords, I can only suggest that if there is any remaining rhinoceros powder left in this country the noble Lord should take a good dose of it.

§ Lord GRIDLEY
My Lords, in further support of my noble friend Lord Selkirk, may I ask the noble Lord whether he is aware that there is widespread public concern in this country about the danger of the extinction of the rhinoceros, and that this is being made manifest by the large amount of public subscriptions which are being made to a charity, the People's Trust for Endangered Species, in order to save the rhinoceros from extinction?

§ Lord MOWBRAY and STOURTON
My Lords, there is every worry about the rhinoceros. Live ones have only been licensed for import for breeding purposes in this country in accordance with the terms of the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Rhinoceros horns and skulls have only been allowed in for non-commercial purposes where they were already in ownership before 1976.

§ Lord MELCHETT
My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that I was not suggesting that the Department of the Environment were showing anything less than extreme enthusiasm for implementing these international controls? I welcome the lead which this country has taken in the negotiations over international conventions. However, in view of the widespread concern about the problems of the rhinoceros, I wonder whether the noble Lord would agree to look again at the priority which the Customs and Excise give to controlling the import of endangered species and their products.

§ Lord MOWBRAY and STOURTON
My Lords, I am glad to hear the noble Lord, Lord Melchett, say what he has about what the Department of the Environment is doing. As the noble Lord is probably aware, we are already having arrangements in Europe. The EEC is going to make the convention binding on all countries in the EEC. This is an educational matter for other countries as well as ourselves. It is not in Europe where we are primarily dealing with the prime offenders. Next year in 1981 when the full convention meets in New Delhi there will be really a full high court judgment given on any offenders. As I pointed out to my noble friend Lord Selkirk a moment ago, these meetings—the next one is next week in Bonn—deal with matters as they come up. Our experts and the standing committee are well aware of where the offenders lie, and are doing their damndest to stop the thing.

The Earl of SELKIRK
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for the trouble he is taking in answering the points which have been raised. Is he aware that in the last century something like 100 mammal species have disappeared from the world? This is a critical moment in the life of the rhinoceros, who has been with us for something like 60 million years.

§ Lord MOWBRAY and STOURTON
My Lords, my noble friend is quite right, but with Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania all now pledged to help, there should be an improvement in this situation.