Back to CITES Home
<< Notifications of 1998

Notification to the Parties

No. 1998/12 Geneva, 31 March 1998

CONCERNING:

Implementation of Decision 10.2

1. In Decision 10.2 of the Conference of the Parties, on conditions for the disposal of ivory stocks and generating resources for conservation in African elephant range States, in paragraph b), it is recorded that:

the African elephant range States agree that all revenues from any purchase of stockpiles by donor countries and organizations will be deposited in and managed through conservation trust funds, and that:

i) such funds shall be managed by Boards of Trustees (such as representatives of governments, donors, the CITES Secretariat, etc.) set up, as appropriate, in each range State, which would direct the proceeds into enhanced conservation, monitoring, capacity building and local community-based programmes; and

ii) these funds must have a positive rather than harmful influence on elephant conservation.

2. As a contribution to the deliberations of the Standing Committee on the implementation of the decisions of the Conference of the Parties regarding elephants, WWF-US provided a discussion paper on conservation trust funds, which was presented at the 40th meeting of the Committee (document Doc. SC.40.5.2.3 Annex B).

3. The Standing Committee expressed appreciation of the contribution from WWF-US and requested the Secretariat to make the paper available to the Parties as an information document containing some examples of the establishment of conservation trust funds.

4. This paper is therefore annexed to the present Notification.