非洲大象分布範圍國家的部長級官員，對如何處理象牙國際貿易之爭議性話題，初次達成華盛頓公約（瀕臨絕種野生動植物國際貿易公約，簡稱為CITES）之共識。在該公約的九年禁令頒布之前，某些貿易將被允許。
華盛頓公約於1989年禁止全球的國際象牙商業交易，然而某些南部非洲象牙國企圖從健康又妥善安排的畜產品中銷售象牙，宣稱他們需要這道程序做保育的工作。其他非洲區國家和大部份的環境保護論者認為，即使象牙合法交易將增加大象的盜獵。
在6月2日華盛頓公約的委員會妥協之下，今天早上事先揭曉在2002年同意的單一次銷售60噸之外，四個南部非州國將逐一允許象牙單一販賣。
這些新販賣的象牙經過註冊將形成全部國家所有的庫存，並且是在2007年1月31清查的。每個地點每次交易形成一個單獨的貨品，只能送到的國家是象牙內部控管經過華盛頓公約秘書處有效證實過的。
這些貨物裝運完成後，這四個國家不會再有新的進一步的銷售計劃，在這九年期的華盛頓公約「休息階段」。這四個國家將被允許銷售的地點有波紮那、那米比亞、南非和辛巴威。
一位興高采烈的肯亞野生生物協會秘書長朱利斯（Julius Kipng'etich）形容這個突破是：「非洲最美好的時刻，非洲大陸、它的人們的和大象的驕傲時刻。」
Ministers from the African elephant range states have for the first time achieved a consensus on how to address the controversial issue of international trade in elephant ivory. Some trade will be allowed before a nine year ban is imposed under the agreement reached today at the conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES.
CITES banned the international commercial ivory trade worldwide in 1989. But some southern African elephant range states have sought to sell ivory from healthy and well managed herds, saying they need the proceeds for conservation. Other African range states and most environmentalists say that even legal trade in ivory will increase the poaching of elephants.
Under the compromise forged in the pre-dawn hours this morning, each of four southern African countries will be permitted to make a single sale of ivory in addition to the one-off sale totaling 60 metric tons that was agreed in principle in 2002 and given the go-ahead by the CITES STanding Committee on June 2.
The ivory for these new sales will consist of all government-owned stocks that have been registered and verified as of January 31, 2007. Each sale is to consist of a single shipment per destination and may only go to countries whose internal controls on ivory sales have been verified as being sufficient by the CITES Secretariat.
After these shipments have been completed no new proposals for further sales from these four countries are to be considered by CITES during a "resting period" of nine years that will begin as soon as the new sales have been completed. The four countries that will be permitted to market their ivory are Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
An elated Kenya Wildlife Service director Julius Kipng'etich described the breakthrough as, "Africa's finest hour, a proud moment for the continent, its people and the elephant."
Tusks from elephants illegally slaughtered in southern Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African countries are carved into souvenirs for tourists. (Photo by Esmond Martin courtesy Care for the Wild International)
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In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
