No commercial trade in lion bones from Namibia

The rejection of the proposal by some other African countries, for African Lions to be moved from Appendix II to I, is a blessing to Namibia, according to the Environment Ministry.

In an update on the CITES meet from Namibia's Ministry of Environment on Wednesday, Minister Pohamba Shifeta said in this case the status quo remains and Namibia will continue with their business as usual, which is sustainable use to ensure the survival of the lion in the wild.

"We strongly feel that the conservation of the African lion will be better served through initiatives at national level to address specific identified major threats," he added.

"The only change will be that no commercial trade in lion bones from Namibia will be allowed which is a blessing to the country," he said.

Meanwhile, in the case of the pangolin, which has been transferred from Appendix II to I, according to the Minister, Namibia does not trade in its specimens for primarily commercial purposes.

"Our pangolin population is being threatened by illegal catch and trade. With this transfer to Appendix I, our pangolin population may be more protected. Therefore, the results of this conference do not affect Namibia negatively," he said

Shifeta said that the pangolin is protected in Namibia and they will continue to focus our efforts on its conservation and also enhance efforts to catch the criminals involved in this trade. Endit