16 U.S.C. § 4202 : US Code - Section 4202: Findings

Search 16 U.S.C. § 4202 : US Code - Section 4202: Findings

The Congress finds the following:
(1) Elephant populations in Africa have declined at an alarming
rate since the mid-1970's.
(2) The large illegal trade in African elephant ivory is the
major cause of this decline and threatens the continued existence
of the African elephant.
(3) The African elephant is listed as threatened under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its
continued existence will be further jeopardized if this decline
is not reversed.
(4) Because African elephant ivory is indistinguishable from
Asian elephant ivory, there is a need to ensure that the trade in
African elephant ivory does not further endanger the Asian
elephant, which is listed as endangered under section 4 of the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533) and under
Appendix I of CITES.
(5) In response to the significant illegal trade in African
elephant ivory, the parties to CITES established the CITES Ivory
Control System to curtail the illegal trade and to encourage
African countries to manage, conserve, and protect their African
elephant populations.
(6) The CITES Ivory Control System entered into force recently
and should be allowed to continue in force for a reasonable
period of time to assess its effectiveness in curtailing the
illegal trade in African elephant ivory.
(7) Although some African countries have effective African
elephant conservation programs, many do not have sufficient
resources to properly manage, conserve, and protect their
elephant populations.
(8) The United States, as a party to CITES and a large market
for worked ivory, shares responsibility for supporting and
implementing measures to stop the illegal trade in African
elephant ivory and to provide for the conservation of the African
elephant.
(9) There is no evidence that sport hunting is part of the
poaching that contributes to the illegal trade in African
elephant ivory, and there is evidence that the proper utilization
of well-managed elephant populations provides an important source
of funding for African elephant conservation programs.