U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service policy change proposes
to ease restriction in the trade of endangered species
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summary:
Officials at the U.S. Department of Interior and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife service have a new proposal
up for comment until October 17 2003 that would
implement a rarely used provision in the U.S. Endangered
Species Act ( of 1973 ) that would allow American
Hunters, circuses, and the pet industry to purchase
a limited number of animals from the wild from foriegn
countries. Kenneth Stansell, assistant director of
international affairs at the U.S. fish and Wildlife
Services, asserts that the policy change will give
poor countries incentive to protect dying species by
providing funds for "sustainable use" conservation
programs. Re****tedly, only countries with effective
conservation would be approved to ex****ting endangered
species. Adams Roberts, a senior research associate
at the non profit Animal welfare Institute, charges
that "As soon as you place a financial price on the
head of wild animals, the incentive is to kill the
animal or capture them." Susan Lieberman, the director
of the species program at the World Wildlife Fund said
that the legal trade in endangered animals will trigger
illegal poaching of endangered animals. Big game and
Trophy hunter John R Monson disagrees; he claims
that his trophy hunting has help fund conservation
efforts in africa. Stansell indicates this change in policy
is in line with November's reversal on the ban of
ivory im****t from Botswana, Nambia, and South Africa;
Stansell asserts that the ivory sales will help sup****t
elephant conservation.
Source
U.S. May Expand Access to Endangered Species
Shankar Vedantam. Wa****ngton Post. Saturday Oct 11 2003 page A1,A10
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