Question NW2651 to the Minister of Environmental Affairs
01 October 2018 - NW2651
Purdon, Mr RK to ask the Minister of Environmental Affairs
(a) What is the name of each (i) organisation and/or (ii) association that her department met with regarding (aa) the sale of lion bone and (bb) lion hunting (aaa) in each of the past three financial years and (bbb) since 1 April 2018, (b) what format did each meeting take, (c) on what date did each meeting take place, (d) what is the name of each person who was present at each meeting and (e) what were the outcomes of each meeting?
Reply:
(a) (i) and/or (ii) (aa)
It is assumed that this question relates to the lion bone export quota allocation.
The decision on lion bone export quota arose from the 17th meeting of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), in 2016. The initial determination of the quota was in 2017, whereby an export quota of 800 skeletons (with or without skull) was determined. The quota was subsequently implemented as such.
As part of the quota determination, the Department conducted a meeting with various stakeholders as listed below:
- Provincial conservation departments
- South Africa Breeders Association
- NGO (anti sustainable use and pro sustainable use NGOs)
- Media
- Hunting organizations
- Lion bone traders
- Lion breeders
- Private individuals
(bb) Hunting of lions is regulated in terms of the National and Provincial legislations. Due to the fact that hunting permits are issued by the Members of Executive Council (MECs) at the Provincial level (regulation of hunting occurs at the Provincial level), the Department is not actively involved in decision making of hunting activities.
It is for this reason that the Department had not had a meeting with an organisation or association specifically regarding lion hunting in the past three financial years and since 1 April 2018.
(b) Presentations were made by the Department (as the CITES Management Authority) and the Chair of CITES Scientific Authority (South African National Biodiversity Institute – SANBI). Organisations who were willing to make presentations at the consultation meeting, were also afforded an opportunity to present (such as EWT, Linda Tucker Foundation and Save the Rhino). In addition, the meeting was open for discussions, the participants were given an opportunity to voice their views.
(c) On 17 January 2017 there was a meeting between the National Department of Environmental Affairs, Scientific Authority and relevant Provincial Departments. On 18 January 2017 there was a consultation session between all the organisations mentioned in (a)(aa) above and the Department, including the Scientific Authority.
(d) Please refer to the attached attendance register for both the meetings.
(e) The comments raised were considered when determining the 2017 and 2018 lion bone export quota. The decision on the quota was also communicated to the public.
The meeting on 17 January 2017 agreed that government stakeholders will provide comments. The wider stakeholder meeting on 18 January agreed to provide comments to the Department by 2 February 2017 and it was agreed that the Department forward those comments to the Scientific Authority for consideration in order to establish the quota.
It was therefore agreed that the Department will meet with the Scientific Authority by end of February 2017 and the quota be set by the beginning of March 2017.
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