It was somehow embarrassing for our otherwise forthright Minister of Environment, Tourism and Wildlife, Kitso Mokaila to be ambiguous about Botswana's one-off sale of stockpiled ivory to Japan and China scheduled for Friday. Mokaila's concerns are nevertheless understandable given the obnoxious ways of the global eco-terrorists.

Botswana is to sell 44 tonnes of ivory, under the auspices of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Against our stockpile this is a modest tonnage. 

Botswana has the largest concentration of African Elephant species in the world.  With an elephant population of more than 155,000 - it accounts for more than 50 percent of the elephant herd in southern Africa. This herd has been growing rapidly, while on the contrary its range has been contracting. This has not only resulted in the elephant population threatening their very habitat but also in elephant/human conflict. 

The abundant elephant population came about as a result of effective conservation policies that have been implemented over the years. This country has a good record on poaching and has a well regulated usage of elephant products. In a normal world, one would have expected southern African countries like Botswana, Namibia and South Africa to be rewarded for their exemplary conservation efforts. But the ungrateful eco-terrorists want them to be punished for having such an abundant resource!

The detractors have unsuccessfully tried to pass ivory legal trade as an incentive to the illegal trade. Kenya and Mali have in particular led a lobby that is calling for a 20-year moratorium of ivory trade. But fortunately CITES has found no correlation between a one-off sale and the rise in seizures of illegal ivory. 

It has since been established that this lot's position is based largely on ethical convictions than the facts on the ground.  Opposition to the southern African reality is basically seen as a vehicle for fundraising.  We could not agree more with Tom Millken, CITES' director for eastern and southern Africa who early this year noted that Kenya and Mali have an appalling record of making illegal ivory seizures.

The fact is that in Botswana, we need funds generated from the sale of ivory - not only for conservation but also for the communities that live with the elephants.  As it is, the Ngami Times reported the death of elephants that have been foraging for food at the Kasane dumpsite. With sufficient funds, a proper and electrified landfill could be constructed for the good of both the wildlife and the community.      

                                          Today's Thought

"The conservation of our natural resources and their proper use constitute the fundamental problem which underlies almost every other problem of our national life"
                                     -  Theodore Roosevelt