China And Ivory Licences

EDM number 2073 in 2007-08, proposed by Lindsay Hoyle on 16/07/2008.
Categorised under the topics of Africa, Animal welfare, Animals, International trade and Wildlife.

That this House notes with urgent concern the Government's decision to approve China's application to legalise purchasing of ivory stockpiles from Africa; is concerned that the licence will provide myriad opportunities for illicit ivory to be laundered into legal stock and will increase the already tragic number of 20,000 elephants being illegally killed across the African continent; and condemns the decision to bow to political pressure regarding relations with China rather than using Great Britain's position as European representative on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) committee to make a stand for positive international wildlife protection.

This motion has been signed by a total of 44 MPs.