§ 77. Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to curtail the global trade in ivory; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. TrippierEffective action to curtail world trade in ivory requires concerted international co-operation, principally through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). We strongly supported the ban on commercial trade in African elephant ivory at the recent CITES conference. We were also successful in obtaining agreement to our resolution urging all parties to the convention to implement these more stringent controls immediately. The Indian elephant is already subject to a similar prohibition.