Apr 28 2008
The intersection of global politics and wildlife conservation
I’ve been following the events in Zimbabwe fairly closely. I spent part of my toddler-hood there. I also have a few people there who are very important to me.
TB the ostrich’s “quiet diplomacy” is thankfully being replaced by more decisive actions from southern africans. Of particular interest is the 77 tons of arms that were due to be offloaded in South Africa, origin: China. Destination: Zimababwe.
To my mind, 3 million AK-47 bullets, 1500 rockets and 3500 mortar shells are not going to help the people of Zimababwe recover from their currently desperate economic situation. Nor will they give citizens the freedom to express their political views. Nor will they promote peace and stability in the SADC.
I’m pleased to read here that even though the big man’s TB’s head is still firmly stuck in the sand, the SA Transport Allied Worker’s Union members refused to offload the ship in Durban. And futhermore that Mozambique has refused to allow the ship into its territorial waters.
Back to the subject of the title of this post. The Zim government coffers are not adequate to pay for this consignment. So uncle Bob, chose to trade 8 tons of Zim ivory for his weapons. This sale has not been appoved by CITES.
I’d be curious to hear some different points of view on this. I haven’t read any of the other wildlifedirect blogs which may have dealt with this, but will do so today. The story is well-covered in the South African dailies.
