Illegal ivory trade fuelled by ekipas, says new report

By: STAFF REPORTER

A REPORT exposing illegal ivory trade in Namibia has been released by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF).

In August 2006 and April 2007, DSWF visited Namibia to investigate

the ivory trade.

It followed a controversial decision in 2004 by CITES - the

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species - to allow

Namibia to export specialised ivory jewellery called ekipas on

condition that the trade is strictly controlled.

 

Only ekipas set in finished jewellery and accompanied by special

certificates could be exported on a "not for resale" basis.

 

Namibia reassured CITES that ekipas would only be made of ivory

from Namibian elephants that had died naturally and that the

industry would benefit local communities.

 

DSWF found that the promised control scheme had not been

implemented.

 

In fact, no evidence was found on either visit of any controls

over ivory trade in Namibia, in breach of the CITES treaty.

 

In their absence, an uncontrolled trade directed at tourists in

all types of ivory ekipa from unknown and probably illegal sources

has arisen.

 

Owners of upmarket jewellery shops and middlemen are reaping

most of the profits of the ekipas market, not local

communities.

 

During its two surveys, DSWF counted over 2 000 ekipas openly

for sale in shops and markets in three tourist centres in

Namibia.

 

Most were loose and not mounted into finished jewellery.

 

Larger numbers were found for sale in 2007 than in 2006,

particularly in street markets where prices were found to have

dropped, indicating that the market is expanding.

 

DSWF's investigators were advised to smuggle the ekipas out or

to misdeclare them, or that exports are legal and don't need CITES

permits.

 

Some shops displayed news articles headlined 'CITES okays trade

in ekipas' as evidence that the trade had been legalised.

 

This new market, the report says, appears to have emerged

shortly before 2004, when Namibia gained export approval from

CITES, and has expanded considerably since then.

 

DSWF estimates that, in the last three years, thousands of new

ekipas have been manufactured and sold to tourists.

 

In addition, ekipas are being manufactured in other countries

and smuggled into Namibia, either as finished products or blank

discs, which are easier to smuggle than ivory tusks.

 

According to retailers and traders, ekipas from Angola, Congo,

Kenya and Zambia are entering the Namibian market.

 

DSWF photographed ekipas said to be from three of these

countries - all had designs quite distinct from each other and from

ekipas claimed to be from Namibia.

 

New designs not seen in 2006 were found in 2007, indicating that

the market is diversifying.

 

"Carvers and ivory traffickers from other countries are cashing

in on Namibia's market.

 

Illegal trade has been fuelled by the CITES decision and

elephants in other countries are dying to supply ekipas.

 

What has happened in Namibia represents a microcosm of what will

happen on a much larger scale if ivory trade is opened up," warned

Rosalind Reeve of DSWF.

 

Two respected Namibian jewellers who refuse to sell new ekipas

because of uncertainty over their origin, believe that most of it

is from poached elephants.

 

Most shop owners buy ekipas directly from traders who come in

with bags full and don't know their source.

 

Middlemen involved in trafficking, interviewed in April 2007,

described how raw ivory was being smuggled regularly into Namibia

from Zambia and Angola hidden in sacks of food or concealed under

car seats and delivered to carvers in Rundu on the border with

Angola or Okahandja, north of Windhoek.

 

Namibia, along with Botswana, is spearheading a campaign to open

up the ivory trade at the forthcoming CITES conference in The Hague

in June.

 

Both countries are strongly opposed to a proposal by Kenya and

Mali for a moratorium on international ivory trade for the next 20

years.

 

Kenya and Mali have also petitioned CITES to revoke Namibia's

permission to export ekipas.

 

It followed a controversial decision in 2004 by CITES - the

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species - to allow

Namibia to export specialised ivory jewellery called ekipas on

condition that the trade is strictly controlled.Only ekipas set in

finished jewellery and accompanied by special certificates could be

exported on a "not for resale" basis.Namibia reassured CITES that

ekipas would only be made of ivory from Namibian elephants that had

died naturally and that the industry would benefit local

communities.DSWF found that the promised control scheme had not

been implemented.In fact, no evidence was found on either visit of

any controls over ivory trade in Namibia, in breach of the CITES

treaty.In their absence, an uncontrolled trade directed at tourists

in all types of ivory ekipa from unknown and probably illegal

sources has arisen.Owners of upmarket jewellery shops and middlemen

are reaping most of the profits of the ekipas market, not local

communities.During its two surveys, DSWF counted over 2 000 ekipas

openly for sale in shops and markets in three tourist centres in

Namibia.Most were loose and not mounted into finished

jewellery.Larger numbers were found for sale in 2007 than in 2006,

particularly in street markets where prices were found to have

dropped, indicating that the market is expanding.DSWF's

investigators were advised to smuggle the ekipas out or to

misdeclare them, or that exports are legal and don't need CITES

permits.Some shops displayed news articles headlined 'CITES okays

trade in ekipas' as evidence that the trade had been legalised.This

new market, the report says, appears to have emerged shortly before

2004, when Namibia gained export approval from CITES, and has

expanded considerably since then.DSWF estimates that, in the last

three years, thousands of new ekipas have been manufactured and

sold to tourists.In addition, ekipas are being manufactured in

other countries and smuggled into Namibia, either as finished

products or blank discs, which are easier to smuggle than ivory

tusks.According to retailers and traders, ekipas from Angola,

Congo, Kenya and Zambia are entering the Namibian market.DSWF

photographed ekipas said to be from three of these countries - all

had designs quite distinct from each other and from ekipas claimed

to be from Namibia.New designs not seen in 2006 were found in 2007,

indicating that the market is diversifying."Carvers and ivory

traffickers from other countries are cashing in on Namibia's

market.Illegal trade has been fuelled by the CITES decision and

elephants in other countries are dying to supply ekipas.What has

happened in Namibia represents a microcosm of what will happen on a

much larger scale if ivory trade is opened up," warned Rosalind

Reeve of DSWF.Two respected Namibian jewellers who refuse to sell

new ekipas because of uncertainty over their origin, believe that

most of it is from poached elephants.Most shop owners buy ekipas

directly from traders who come in with bags full and don't know

their source.Middlemen involved in trafficking, interviewed in

April 2007, described how raw ivory was being smuggled regularly

into Namibia from Zambia and Angola hidden in sacks of food or

concealed under car seats and delivered to carvers in Rundu on the

border with Angola or Okahandja, north of Windhoek. Namibia, along

with Botswana, is spearheading a campaign to open up the ivory

trade at the forthcoming CITES conference in The Hague in June.Both

countries are strongly opposed to a proposal by Kenya and Mali for

a moratorium on international ivory trade for the next 20

years.Kenya and Mali have also petitioned CITES to revoke Namibia's

permission to export ekipas.

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