African Groups Flay U.S. Proposal On Endangered Species

African Groups Flay U.S. Proposal On Endangered Species
Wednesday, November 19, 2003

Environmental groups in East Africa are objecting to a U.S. proposal to ease restrictions on the importation of threatened or endangered species. The East African reported yesterday, claiming it will only provide incentive for the hunting and killing of such animals (John Mbaria, The East African/allAfrica.com, Nov. 18).

According to the new proposal submitted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the importation of endangered species into the United States would generate money for many countries that in return would be able to promote wildlife conservation programs.

The plan would alter the Endangered Species Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1973, which currently prohibits the capture, import, sale and killing of endangered species without a permit issued by the U.S. service (CNN.com, Oct. 11).

In a letter to Chris Nolin, the chief of the U.S. agency's division of conservation and classification, the International Fund for Animal Welfare's regional director for East Africa James Isiche said that "the intended policy change will bring to naught all the efforts and resources that countries such as Kenya have for so many decades put into conservation of endangered species. Encouraging trade in endangered species will only intensify poaching."

According to The East African, conservationists claim that the U.S. proposal was submitted because the U.S. hunting lobby, circuses, zoos and pet traders are pressuring the government to ease ESA restrictions.

"This is the most outrageous of all the Bush administration's sustained attacks on the ESA because it advocates the direct killing of endangered species and thus targets the 558 species listed as endangered in foreign countries," said Block Evans of the U.S. Endangered Species Coalition.

Interested parties to the ESA, including East African countries, have until December to submit comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the new proposal (Mbaria, The East African/allAfrica.com).