Fiona
Bruce MP speaks out against Ivory Trade
Fiona Bruce
spoke out in Parliament recently, along with MP colleagues from the International
Development Select Committee, against the ivory trade and the killing of
elephants – full speech below.
Thank you, Mrs Main.
On 24 September 2016, the third annual global march for elephants and
rhinos took place, with people from 140 cities worldwide uniting to call for a
ban on the trade in ivory and horn, and to demand that action be taken to end
the irretrievable damage caused by the acquisition and trade of ivory. I
commend the hon. Member for Stafford (Jeremy Lefroy) for securing the debate
and support him in his call for Members to recognise the irrevocable damage
that will be caused both to elephant species and to individuals’ livelihoods if
action is not taken.
I particularly commend the excellent speech by my hon. Friend the Member
for Mid Derbyshire (Pauline Latham). She articulated so well how a near-total
ban on ivory trade is the way ahead. I very much support such a ban and, as I
say, she expressed very well how an “intelligent” differentiation can be
made, to use the word of my hon. Friend the Member for Kensington (Victoria
Borwick), between museum pieces and genuine antique objects and other ivory, so
that we can not only ensure that there is that distinction but at the same time
put an end to and cut off the source of funding for the brutal killers who are
poaching elephants in Africa and elsewhere.
As my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Derbyshire mentioned, a survey on
elephants in August 2016—the great elephant census—showed the severe fall in
the number of African elephants. The figures that have been mentioned in the
debate vary, but it is clear that there has been a severe decline. If the
current level of poaching in Africa continues, elephants could be all but
extinct by 2030, and certain species will experience an extreme decline even
earlier. For example, the African forest elephant has declined by 65% since
2002, giving it only another decade before extinction. The gravity of the need
to act on the ivory trade is undeniable.
However, the different species of African elephants are not the only
victims of the ivory trade. I saw that on a visit to Tanzania about two years
ago, when I was privileged to be invited to go on a safari. We saw many, many
animals, but we saw no elephants, and the guide explained to us that the
decline in elephants was a serious deterrent to tourists visiting the area,
which would have an increasing impact on the jobs and livelihoods of the people
living in that area unless something was done.
Those of us on the International Development Committee —including my
hon. Friends the Members for Stafford and for Mid Derbyshire, and others who
are here today—know that this is a critical issue to be addressed in Africa
today, particularly for the younger generation. I particularly ask that the
Department for International Development considers whether there is more that
it could do to support those dealing with this issue in the countries in which
we are spending UK aid.
The responsibility that Britain must take in tackling the ivory trade
cannot be ignored. The domestic market means that there is a transition point
in the UK for the trading of ivory, with import and re-export occurring.
Between 2009 and 2014, 40% of seizures by the UK Border Force were of ivory
items.
There has been some progress. I am pleased to see the Government’s
commitment to doubling their £13 million investment to tackle the illegal ivory
trade and the endeavour to train a British military anti-poaching force. Those
are bold and leading measures to tackle the problem, but more must be done. I
join other Members in asking the Government to take further steps to close the
ivory market, in order to rid Britain of the status of a transitionary market
for the trade of ivory, and to impose a near-total ivory ban.
In recent years, international collaboration has been very encouraging.
I welcome the announcements by the USA and China within the past year regarding
the banning of the ivory trade, and more recently the announcements by Hong
Kong and France. I urge the Government to join that international movement and
to recognise the urgency of action on the ivory trade. Without a near-total ban
on the ivory trade in the UK, we will neglect not only to counteract the rapid
decline of African elephants but to support the livelihoods of many people in
developing countries who have been crippled by the ivory market. It would
be to the shame of our country, and indeed our Government, if we lagged behind
other countries that are currently taking a lead on tackling this issue.
