Zambia, one of the strongest opponents of the ivory trade in southern Africa, is about to turn its back on elephants.

In 1992, Zambia publicly burned its entire ivory stockpile, nine tonnes (a tonne is a metric ton), as a gesture of support for the ivory trade ban. But now so that it can sell its 17-tonne stockpile of ivory on the international market, the Zambian government plans to ask the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to downgrade the protections given Zambian elephants.

At the November CITES meeting, Zambia will propose that its elephant population be downlisted from Appendix I, the category that covers species who may not be traded internationally, to Appendix II, the category that covers species whose international trade is legal but "regulated." Elephants in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe have already been downlisted to Appendix II.

An Uncontrollable Trade

There is no such thing as a regulated trade in ivory—a fact brought home by CITES's disastrous attempt to control a legal ivory trade in the 1980s. The result: massive elephant poaching. Between 1979 and 1989, the number of African elephants in the wild decreased from 1.2 million to 600,000. After the international ivory trade was finally banned in 1989, elephant poaching decreased dramatically.

Despite the success of the ivory trade ban, the parties to CITES decided in 1997 to allow Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe to sell their stockpiled ivory to Japan on a one-time "experimental basis." This one-time sale stimulated demand for ivory and sent the message to poachers that a full-scale trade in ivory might soon resume, which precipitated the wiping out of thousands of elephants, including hundreds in Zambia, so that their ivory could be sold illegally.

Asian elephants were affected, too. Between 1988 and 2000, Asian elephant populations were slashed by over 80% in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Today there are an estimated 519,461 wild elephants in Africa and approximately 30,000 elephants in Asia.

The Asian Market Flourishes

There is no reason to believe that CITES is any more capable of controlling the international trade in ivory today than it was in the 1980s. The ivory markets of Japan, southeast Asia, and China are flourishing. A recent report on the ivory trade in Asia reveals that tens of thousands of ivory objects are for sale in shops throughout east and southeast Asia, mainly to European and American tourists. These objects are made from the ivory of both Asian and African elephants.

As long as people are buying ivory, elephants will be illegally killed. Zambia must be urged to continue to protect its elephants rather than sacrifice them to the international ivory trade. This protection will, in the long run, be more profitable for the nation. An elephant killed for ivory can bring in money only once; but a live elephant brings in tourist dollars over and over. Zambia need only look to Kenya for proof of how profitable tourism can be—in 1989, Kenya's elephants were estimated to be worth $25 million in annual tourism revenue.

How You Can Help

1. Sign our petition to the Zambian President at gopetition.com.
2. Send a letter or fax to the Zambian High Commission or Embassy nearest you. Please address your letter or fax to the Tourism Section. Politely ask the Zambian government not to submit a proposal to downlist elephants at the next CITES meeting. Say that as a potential tourist you'd rather see live elephants in Zambia than ivory trinkets in Tokyo.

   If you live in the United States, you can send your letters to:

   The Embassy of the Republic of Zambia
   2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW
   Washington, D.C. 20008

   If you live in the United Kingdom, send your letters to:

   The Zambia High Commission
   2 Palace Gate
   London, W8 5NG
   Fax: +44 207 581 1353

   If you don't live in either the United States or United Kingdom, use the link below to locate the nearest Zambian High Commissions and Embassies.

3. Send an e-mail.

   If you live in the United Kingdom, you can e-mail the High Commissioner (addressed as "Your Excellency"), Mr. S. K. Mubukwanu, at skmubukwanu@aol.com. You can also send a copy of your e-mail to the Zambian Tourist Board at Zntb@aol.com.

   If you live outside the United Kingdom, go to the Zambian High Commission-UK's web site www.zhcl.org.uk and click on the guest book. From there you can send a message to Zambia, no matter where you live.