JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Some of the delegates attending the 17th Conference of the Parties (CoP17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) on Tuesday hailed the meeting as a success.
South African Minister of Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa told Xinhua that she is happy with the outcomes of CoP17.
"This Conference of Parties has made good decisions about our natural resources. What have won too, are the sustainable utilisation of the natural resources," she said.
The CoP17 started on September 24 and will end on October 5. Most of the recommendations approved by the Working Group Committees were unanimously adopted.
But CoP17 rejected the proposal to close domestic markets for ivory.
Molewa said it's a victory for the Southern African countries which will continue to allow sustainable hunting for trophies and sell skins of certain animals domestically.
A clause has also been approved, which stipulates that domestic markets be closed in a country if it is proved that there is a link to poaching or illegal trade.
Namibian Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeka said Southern African countries managed to get what they wanted.
He stated that as Southern African countries they had good policies to sustainably manage the wildlife and are happy with the acknowledgement from CITES that they are doing well.
Shifeka said, "We are content with the outcomes of CITES. There were no much controversy. We got what we wanted. We fought and succeeded and its good for us. We feel vindicated about what we always said that our natural resources, like elephants, are not under threat."
He said Southern African countries are happy with their support for domestic trade in ivory.
The minister said that while Namibia is currently not involved in domestic trade in ivory but they want to consider that in future people will form cooperatives and do business in the species there.
He criticised some conservationists for trying to dictate to them what to do with their natural resources.
Zimbabwean Environment, Water and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said Southern African countries will not watch while their resources in stockpiles are being burnt.
He said they have some plans but he did not elaborate.
Rosalind Reeve, senior advisor to Fondation Franz Weber and the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, said the conference was a huge success.
"Overall, there were lots of success at CoP 17. These includes the up listing of grey parrots, numerous species like reptiles and sharks... the big controversy was the issue of elephants. The defeat of Swaziland proposal is a good outcome, if it had succeeded, it could have been disastrous," Reeve said.
She was referring to Swarziland's proposal to sell rhino horns confisticated from poachers and the animals which could have died of natural causes. But CITES rejected the proposal.
Reeve said it was also a success in the rejection of opening international trade in ivory.
"There was a big step forward but we wanted a better decision on elephants. It is important to make a follow up on domestic market resolution. From now up to the next CoP, we would like to see the implementation of the decisions taken here," she said when referring to the closure of domestic markets for ivory.
Reeve said that the EU and Japan should consider joining other countries on domestic trade since their domestic trade in ivory is linked to illegal trade.
The conference imposed a ban on international trade in pangolins and grey African parrots. Stricter regulations were also imposed on the trade in rosewood tree, devil rays and silky. For the first time CITES also resolved to include corruption in the fight against wildlife illegal trade.
