PRETORIA – The Democratic Alliance (DA) has taken note of the European Commission’s (EU) decision to block a loophole in regulations that governs trading of hunting trophies.
Criminal gangs involved in trafficking of high-value hunting trophies, such as rhino horn and elephant tusks, used these loopholes for trading.
Previously a European Union (EU) import permit-verification system for these trophies, was never required by EU member states.
With these steps now taken by the EU, DA shadow minister for environmental affairs, Ms Terri Stander, announced earlier on Monday, “I have today written to the minister of environmental affairs, Ms Edna Molewa, to write in the strongest terms to all her counterparts in Mozambique, Vietnam and China to implement the same regulations for trophy imports as the EU.”
DA Shadow Minister of Environmental Affairs
The new measures taken by the EU commission include a new requirement for an import permit, that would guarantee the origin of the trophy is legal and sustainable. “The permit will only be delivered once the EU is convinced that the import meets criteria demonstrating that it is sustainable. If the criteria are not met, the import will be banned.”
The illegal wildlife trade is said to be in the top-five organised-crime earners estimated at over a billion dollars per year and according to Stander, the South African border controls are lax and only help grow the industry.
South Africa, Mozambique, Vietnam and China all have very little control over the illegal-wildlife products exiting, transiting or entering their countries.
Mozambique has just tabled its National Rhino and Ivory Action Plan 2015-2016 to CITES, three months late, wherein it outlines one of its plans to improve border policing by October 2016.
According to Stander this is too little too late. “How can the EU develop and implement legislation so quickly when the problem states have taken little to no action since 2008? The memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with all of these countries under huge pomp and ceremony has resulted in no tangible results.”
The minister needs to take a tough stance on her counterparts locally and abroad regarding the illicit trade in rhino horn, she added. “Only political will and collective action from the countries that are most affected by the scourge of rhino poaching can disrupt the chain of supply and demand to quell the trade on an international level.”
Lowvelder has requested comment from the office of the minister of environmental affairs, but nothing arrived at the time of going to print.
