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Zimbabwe’s bid to reopen ivory trade rejected

Published

3 years ago

November 21, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Efforts by Zimbabwe to open trade in elephant leather and ivory failed in a vote at 19th Conference of the Parties (CoP19) in Panama after 85 percent of global countries opposed the move, arguing that it will fuel wildlife crimes.

The proposal, if successful, would have allowed the sale of ivory from national stockpiles of Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa which they argued that the profits from the sales were going to benefit communities and support the conservation of wildlife.

Zimbabwe says it is sitting on a stockpile worth US$600 million that needs to be disposed of, but it failed to achieve the two-thirds majority required to pass.

“Swift on the heels of the defeat to re-open trade, Parties at Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) CoP19 voted against uplisting of all elephant populations, maintaining the status quo and the ongoing challenge of differing levels of protection across the range of African elephants,” Environmental Investigation Agency organization said in a statement.

Only 15 governments voted in favour, 83 against, with 17 abstentions.

IFAW deputy President of Conservation, Matthew Collis in another statement said it welcomed the decision which it says will prevent the poaching of elephants for their tusks.

“We have seen the devastating effect of the ivory trade on elephant populations across the world that have been ruthlessly targeted by poachers,” Collins said.

“Any legal ivory trade provides opportunities for criminals to launder poached elephant ivory into the market.

“Much progress has been made in recent years to close down remaining ivory markets, so we are pleased this decision does not undo such progress.”

“We are sympathetic to the countries seeking to generate income for conservation, but we must find ways to do so without exposing elephant populations to the risk of further poaching,”Collins noted.

“Sadly, governments look likely to refuse such an opportunity at this very meeting, given the lack of agreement earlier today for a proposal put forward by Kenya to set up a fund to support elephant conservation in exchange for destruction of ivory stockpiles.”

A similar proposal was rejected at the previous CITES conference in Geneva in 2019

Meanwhile, countries such as Kenya’s have proposed setting up a Convention on International Trade in a working group to explore the feasibility of “Establishing a fund accessible to range states upon non-commercial disposal of ivory stockpiles”.

The fund will be envisaged by making resources available to support elephant conservation and research programs, as well as for livelihoods and economic development programs.

“There has never been a better time to find a new approach to supporting elephant range states in their conservation initiatives, ”

“There was a disastrous increase in poaching across Africa after the last ivory stockpile sales in 2008, and there are no obvious buyers this time around.

“IFAW is pleased that Governments at CITES have chosen to reject repeating that failed experiment, but we urge CITES governments to explore more innovative ways to get resources to elephant range states to protect their wildlife.” Collis concluded.

CoP19 is scheduled to run until Friday.

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Renowned conservationist Alan Elliott passes away at 86

Published

9 hours ago

August 1, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The conservation world is mourning the loss of Alan Elliott, a pioneering conservationist and tourism operator who passed away this morning around 2AM at Materdei Hospital in Bulawayo.

Elliott, affectionately known as “Mandebele,” was 86 years old.

Photo by Charlene Hewat

Elliott’s contributions to conservation and tourism in Zimbabwe are immeasurable. He was one of the first people to bring tourism to Hwange, Zimbabwe’s largest national park, and founded Touch the Wild, a tourism operation that hosted numerous celebrities, including the Queen and Prince Philip.

We then contacted Charlene Hewat, a close associate of Elliott’s Presidential Elephant Research Trust (PERT), to explain further about his conservation work. Hewat described Elliott as an extraordinary conservationist who dedicated his life to protecting elephants. “Alan’s legacy is imprinted on the wild landscapes he loved so dearly and protected so fiercely,” Hewat said in a Facebook post.

In an interview, Hewat elaborated on Elliott’s work, highlighting his efforts to protect elephants in Hwange. “He went and got a decree from President (Robert) Mugabe to protect the presidential elephants, and he received that decree, and they agreed that they would not shoot any elephants within the Dete Hwange area,” Hewat explained.

Elliott’s passing has sent shockwaves throughout the conservation community, with many paying tribute to his remarkable legacy. “He’s a legend. Everybody knows him,” Hewat said. “He was an MP in Hwange, spoke fluent Ndebele, and knew a lot of the ministers. He’s just an amazing man, a legend for Zimbabwe.”

As a testament to his enduring legacy, Elliott had asked Hewat to carry on his work with the Presidential Elephant Research Trust. “It was his vision to promote young Zimbabwean researchers, and that’s something that I share and think we can take forward for the country and for the youth,” Hewat said.

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UPDATE: ZimParks rangers injured in elephant attack receiving medical treatment

Published

15 hours ago

August 1, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo has provided an update on the condition of two rangers who were injured earlier this week by elephants in the Sengwa, Chirisa Safari area.

The rangers, who were investigating a reported case of a snared buffalo, encountered a herd of elephants with calves that charged at them.

According to the update, one of the rangers has undergone treatment for his left arm and is currently in a stable condition.

The other ranger had a successful abdominal operation and is currently receiving surgery for his broken left arm and left leg.

The incident highlights the dangers faced by wildlife rangers in Zimbabwe. In a similar incident in March 2025, a Zimparks ranger was killed by an elephant in Kariba during a routine patrol in the Gatche-gatche area.

The authority has encouraged people to minimize movements at night to reduce the risk of human-wildlife conflicts.

National

Zimbabwe on track for 6% growth as economy recovers from drought

Published

15 hours ago

August 1, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY REUTERS

Zimbabwe is on track to achieve a forecasted 6% economic growth in 2025 helped by good agricultural output and strong commodity prices, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said on Thursday.

The Southern African country’s economy has shown signs of recovery in the first half of the year following a severe drought and currency turbulence in 2024 that pushed GDP growth down to 2%.

“Given the positive economic developments during the period January to June, we are confident that the projected economic growth of 6% alluded to in the 2025 National Budget is achievable,” Ncube told parliament in a mid-year budget review.

“All sectors of the economy are expected to record positive growth in 2025, mainly on account of a favourable agriculture season, improved electricity generation, stable exchange rate and inflation rate,” he said.

He did not give an update on the budget deficit, which was seen at 0.4% of gross domestic product in 2025 during the budget forecast last November.

Zimbabwe’s fiscal position remains under strain from grain imports, drought relief spending and the public sector wage bill. While the government has collected more revenue than in the same period last year, analysts say containing the deficit may prove difficult without new fiscal measures.

The local currency, the ZiG, launched in April 2024 to replace the Zimbabwe dollar, has largely remained stable against the U.S. dollar but is still overshadowed by widespread use of the dollar in everyday transactions.

Ncube reiterated the government’s commitment to the gold-backed unit and said the currency had benefited from tight monetary and fiscal policies.