Zimbabwe hosts elephant summit
CHENGETAI MURIMWA AND TENDAI BHEBE
Zimbabwe will this month hosts the African Elephant Summit in the resort town of Victoria Falls, Business Times can report.
It comes at a time some European countries are fighting to have a total ban on elephant products.
The summit runs from May 23, 2022 to May 25, 2022.
Zimbabwe has an elephant population of more than 100 000.
Environment, Tourism and Hospitality deputy minister Babra Rwodzi told journalists in Bulawayo that the summit will bring together all countries that have elephants in the SADC region.
She also said Kenya is expected to participate at the conference.
“We are going to host an elephant conference of countries that have elephants because we speak with one voice,” Rwodzi said.
She said Zimbabwe has the second largest elephant herd in the world.
“We only have a capacity of having 40 000 elephants but the herd has grown to 90 000 and it’s causing problems,” Rwodzi said.
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Southern Africa hosts half of the 400 000 elephants left in the world but major decisions on wildlife governance are often made by countries without wildlife.
Zimbabwe is currently sitting on about 100 tonnes of ivory worth close to half a billion US dollars which can not be traded because of international law.
She said the country has paws of ivory worth US$600m.
“Anything that is of an elephant should be sold or can be sold at minimum if you are at appendix two. If its its under appendix one there won’t be any trade.
Currently we have paws of ivory that goes to about US$600m in our country. Appendix two means we can do trading with other countries while appendix one no trading will take place , “she said.
She said the only counties buying under appendix two are China and Japan.
” Its not only Zimbabwe that is suffering from this issue. Its across the whole continent. The only counties buying under appendix two are China and Japan. We are inviting their ambassadors to be part of this summit so that they understand where we are coming from, “Rwodzi said.
