President Mnangagwa has urged member states of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) to stick to their collective position on sustainable elephant conservation management. He also implored member states not to succumb to pressure from powerful economies who advocate the imposition of a ban on legal ivory trade.
Speaking during the just ended Kasane Elephant Summit 2019 in Botswana, president Mnangagwa said:
As we approach CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of fauna and flora), let us therefore, resolutely affirm our collective position on sustainable elephant conservation management. Let us boldly speak with one voice, in the best interests of our communities. The ‘one size fits all’ banning of everything under CITES, disregarding the good efforts and investments by our respective Governments is neither sustainable nor desirable.
The summit was also attended by President Mokgweetsi Masisi (Botswana), President Edgar Lungu (Zambia) and President Hage Geingob (Namibia). It raised the issued of poaching that has become rampant in Africa.
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More: The Chronicle