Kenya has been delisted from the “gang of eight” countries of global notoriety in poaching and illegal trade in ivory, even as some parties complained that the process through which it was being let off the hook had become a mere box-ticking exercise.
Kenya was among five other countries that were allowed to exit the National Ivory Action Plan (NIAP), a monitoring mechanism for illegal poaching and trade, at the 70th meeting of the Standing Committee to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES), because they have ostensibly made substantive strides in eliminating the vice.
The NIAP process is a key international initiative set up to curb the mass slaughter of elephants especially in the countries deemed the worst offenders. Other countries that exited together with Kenya were Uganda, Tanzania, China, Thailand, and the Philippines.
The “gang of eight” countries included supply states, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, plus the consumer states of China and Thailand, as well as Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, which are important in the transit of ivory. The decision taken at the meeting of the Cites conference in Bangkok was meant to compel countries to take tougher action.
Now the five will no longer mandatorily be required to report on steps they are taking to address their roles in illegal ivory trade. These six countries are among a number that have been required by CITES to develop NIAPs and to report on their implementation of those plans.
The Standing Committee (SC70) of the CITES convened from October 1-5 in Sochi, the Russian Federation. The Committee granted exit to these countries on the strength of their favourable submissions made by the countries themselves, without an adequate independent verification mechanism.
But some participants saw the SC70 exit decision as premature, arguing that NIAPs should rather be strengthened and revised over time. Over 700 participants from national governments, intergovernmental organisations, and non-governmental organisations attended the meeting.
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) strongly disagreed with the so-called ‘success’ and argued that key gaps remain in terms of implementation on the ground. It insisted that the notion of progress is skewed.
“The decision to allow these Parties to exit the NIAP process is particularly problematic because it took place without any consultation with independent experts, nor was it based on an assessment of actual impact on the ground,” contended an EIA report on the process which highlights major gaps such as lack of prosecutions and deterrent convictions.
This even as some the exiting countries including Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, added that as countries exit the NIAP process, they require continued support as they upscale efforts at sea, land and border points in combating ivory trade.
The European Union, supported by the United States and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), stated that parties should not be allowed to exit the NIAP process until all conditions are met or until consultation with outside experts is done to identify gaps. They also recommended that parties exit the NIAP process only if they are not selected as Category A countries.
Kenya’s participation & pledges at the London conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade 2018 https://t.co/ow1bcqeQry pic.twitter.com/RwYdXbTjd2
— Save the Rhino (@savetherhino) October 14, 2018
Kenya off illegal ivory trade list but experts doubt process https://t.co/BVXMkrvtFc
— Daily Nation (@dailynation) October 15, 2018