§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent information assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the international ban on trade in elephant products, including ivory, in reducing poaching in Africa.
§ Sir Paul BeresfordThere is general agreement that elephant poaching declined significantly in a number of African countries following the 1989 decision to ban international trade in elephant products and that the ban made an important contribution to this decline, though it was not the only factor.
The latest position appears to be less encouraging. Poaching of the rhinoceros has continued and, in some places, grown in intensity during the same period even though there is a ban on international trade in rhino products. A study being carried out in nine African elephant range states, covering all the African regions, by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources African elephant specialist group and TRAFFIC International should give the most up-to-date assessment on illegal killing of elephants. A report is expected shortly.