THURSDAY, 24 OCTOBER 2002: The 12th Conference of Parties (COP12) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) takes place in Santiago, Chile, from 3-15 November 2002, at which South Africa will submit three proposals aimed at ensuring the sustainability of its wild fauna and flora.

South Africa's proposal include:

1. The amendment of the annotation attached to the Appendix II listing of the South African population of African elephant to allow the initial sale of the Kruger National Park ivory stockpile (30 tonnes), 18 months after the adoption of the proposal, and a subsequent annual quota of two tonnes.
2. The transfer of the South African population of Cape parrot from Appendix II (species not necessarily in danger of extinction but which could become so if trade in them were not strictly regulated) to Appendix I (species threatened with extinction that are or could be affected by trade).
3. The transfer of Aloe thorncroftii from Appendix I to Appendix II.

Sale of ivory to be conducted under the supervision of the CITES Secretariat

Commenting on South Africa's proposal on the African elephant, the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa, said South Africa had a large stockpile of ivory which came from natural mortalities and whose condition was deteriorating.

"South Africa is proposing a once-off sale of existing stock of ivory, to be conducted under the supervision of the CITES Secretariat," he said.

This will ensure that only the stock that has been properly indexed and documented is used in this transaction to the satisfaction of all those concerned.

SA does not allow hunting in its national parks

The minister added that South African Parks (SANParks) observes the highest international conservation standards and that South Africa does not allow hunting of elephants in its national parks.

Since the end of apartheid in 1994, the South African government has added 311 291 hectares to the national parks.

Minister Moosa said large numbers of elephants are in the process of being translocated from South Africa to Mozambique as part of the establishment of Africa's super park, the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. This is a clear commitment from South Africa to explore a variety of measures to ensure a balanced biodiversity, while contributing to regional solidarity.

Sale of ivory will provide funds critical for the management of wildlife

"South Africa believes in, and practices, sustainable use of its wildlife resources to contribute to the economic development of the country," the minister said.

"The once-off sale of the Kruger National Park stockpile would make available to SANParks funds that are critically needed for elephant and wildlife management and for the expansion of the national parks system," he said.

The government, saddled with a range of pressing social development priorities, has challenged SANParks to utilise the national parks assets it manages to optimise revenue generation for conservation. The cost of building predator sensing, maintaining anti-poaching operations, and translocating wildlife as part of the transfrontier conservation programme, adds up to an enormous budget. The controlled sale of the ivory stock would go a long way towards realising requisite funding, added Minister Moosa.

Cape parrot an endangered species

South Africa also proposes the transfer of the South African population of Cape parrot from Appendix II to Appendix I, because of being concerned with the decline in numbers of this species. Possible factors contributing to this decline include habitat loss, food shortage, low productivity rate, human predation and virulent diseases. The Cape parrot is rare with a restricted distribution, and its conservation should be given priority.

Features of the breeding and feeding biology make the Cape parrot demographically vulnerable. It has suffered a major population decline and reduction in range. It formerly occurred in large numbers but now occurs in small groups at isolated forests patches. The status of the Cape parrot is critical and it is endemic to South Africa, recognised as a red Data Book Endangered Species. It is protected by general wildlife legislation in the provinces of South Africa where it naturally occurs.

The national protection of the Aloe to remain in force

Aloe thorncroftii was originally listed in Appendix I on account of its small population size and the threat of collection. There is, however, no recent evidence of international trade or illegal trade of this species and levels of national utilisation are not high. The last report of collection from the population is from 1978. South Africa is of the opinion that species that do not fulfil the requirements for inclusion in the CITES appendices, such as Aloe thorncroftii, should be excluded from them, but this does not mean that the conservation of this species is neglected; instead the national protection will remain in force. Three of the eight populations are protected, two on formally proclaimed reserves and one on natural heritage site. One reserve, the Thorncroft Nature Reserve, was proclaimed for the sole purpose of protecting this species.

The South African proposals to CITES COP12 are the result of thorough consultation with stakeholders and reflect the South African position of supporting sustainable use.