Banner Image: Courtesy of Michelle Riley HSUS The Minster (Barbara Creecy), the Republic of South Africa, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) has released, for public consultation, a Draft White Paper on Conservation and Sustainable Use of South Africa’s Biodiversity: Government Notice 2252 of 2022 “South Africa’s Biodiversity 2022: …
2021 Review
In last year’s review, it was hoped that in 2021 we could start to return to some kind of ‘normality’ after Coronavirus (Covid-19) impacted the globe – it would seem we are still a long way from any guarantee of ‘normality,’ as the fight against the virus endures. On a …
UK Ivory Act – Ivory Bearing Species Consultation
The United Kingdom government (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)) is seeking consultation (via an on-line survey) on extending the scope of the Ivory Act 2018 to encompass five additional ivory bearing species (hippopotamus, narwhal, killer whale, sperm whale and walrus), not just elephants – this DEFRA consultation runs …
South Africa’s Draft Policy Position – Elephant, Lion, Leopard and Rhinoceros
After last year’s High-Level Panel (HLP) submission process in South Africa, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) released its HLP Report in May 2021. Among many proposals, the DFFE proposes to enhance the conservation of lion and rhino species in the wild by halting their commercially driven domestication/exploitation. …
The Often Overlooked Ivory Trade
“The often overlooked ivory trade,” TRAFFIC, April 2021 Hippopotamus have been exploited in the past for their ivory – the hippo species (Hippopotamus amphibius) is classed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as vulnerable, with an estimated global population of around 110,000 – 130,000. But threats such …
South Africa’s High Level Panel Report
Banner Image courtesy of Mark Boulton – Elsa Trust and Elsamere The Republic of South Africa’s Cabinet approved the High Level Panel’s (HLP’s) report [High Level Panel Report_15 December 2020] last week, so a briefing for stakeholders was held today, Sunday, 2 May 2021. Minster Creecy (Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and …
Trafficking of Ivory in Cambodia – Operation Jeopardy
An illustration of how the illegal wildlife trade adapts and shifts – the Chinese demand for ivory is still there, the supply routes move regions as enforcement eventually tries to clamp-down: “Operation Jeopardy – The Growing Relevance of Cambodia in the Global Ivory Trade (report PDF),” Wildlife Justice Commission, June 2020 …
UK Ivory Bill Upheld at Appeal
[Update – September 2020] The path for appeal to the Supreme Court was denied in August 2020, with DEFRA consulting (opened 9 March 2021) on implementation of the Ivory Act (2018): “In August a Defra spokesperson said: “We are committed to bringing the ivory ban into force as soon as …
UK Ivory Bill – Appeal
Banner Image – Protesters supporting the UK Ivory Bill being enacted in full outside the High Court, 24 February 2020 – courtesy of Action for Elephants Back in November 2019, Friends of Antique Cultural Treasures (FACT – a limited company formed by dealers and collectors, with funds channelled via …
UK Ivory Bill Challenge
Banner Image – Protesters supporting the UK Ivory Bill being enacted in full outside the High Court, 16 October 2019 Update: 18 February 2020 The privately funded appeal against the High Court’s 2019 decision(to reject the ivory ban challenge) to be heard 24/25 February, 2020, High Court, The Strand, London. …