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Botswana readies for CITES showdown

Ready to rumble: Senyatso is upbeat about the country’s prospects at CITES PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE
Ready to rumble: Senyatso is upbeat about the country’s prospects at CITES PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE

Local wildlife authorities are conducting last-minute lobbying of diplomats and others, as the country prepares for a highly contentious Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting, where several West African states are pushing for a ban on Botswana’s elephant trophy hunting.

CITES is an international body binding 184 states to agreements on the trade and protection of endangered plants and animals.

The upcoming Conference of Parties (CoP) is CITES’ highest decision-making meeting held every three years where countries frequently clash over proposals to tighten or loosen trade in various animals and plants.

Editor's Comment
Deadly weekend demands immediate vigilance

The heartbreaking reports carried elsewhere on this publication of a woman killed in Metsimotlhabe and four family members perishing near Metsimaswaana Bridge are, devastatingly, not isolated incidents. They represent the sharp, painful tip of a weekend that has seen far too many collisions, injuries, and losses on the roads. This alarming spike in fatalities is a screaming siren we cannot ignore. It compels a direct and urgent plea to every...

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