§ 53. Mr. Geraint HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a further statement on the effectiveness of international action to protect the African elephant.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryThe decision taken by the seventh conference of the parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to prohibit commercial trade in African elephants and elephant products has substantially reduced the demand for ivory. There is as yet little clear information about the effect of the trade ban on the illegal killing of elephants, but a prominent expert has suggested that prices overall have fallen to such a low level that poaching is no longer worth while, and in some areas may have almost stopped. I hope that this will soon be the case in all parts of Africa.