Nations meet to protect wildlife

Elephants and the ivory trade come under the spotlight as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) summit opens.

Just prior to the opening, a committee voted that a limited sale of stockpiled ivory from southern Africa to Japan could go ahead.

Some African countries want a 20-year ban on trading ivory.

The two-week meeting in The Hague will also seek protection for the sawfish, cedar, and some corals.

Conservation groups are targeting China's tiger farming business.

The three-yearly Cites meetings set restrictions on trade in species regarded as endangered or threatened.

This year's summit on the 32-year old treaty brings 175 national delegations to The Hague, along with other UN agencies, and conservation and animal welfare organisations.

	US 'major illegal ivory importer'	BBC News	Wed Jun 6	0
	UN Wildlife Pact Allows Ivory Sale to Japan	planetark.com	Sun Jun 3	0