Tanzania withdraws Cites proposal on ivory trade

The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) has hailed Tanzania for withdrawing a proposal to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to sell some of its ivory stockpile. CITES is the international agreement that regulates the trade of endangered plants and wildlife. More than 176 countries are signatories to the treaty. Tanzania had submitted a proposal to 'downlist' the status of the country’s elephants and allow a one–time sale of more than 100 tons of ivory to China and Japan...