Conservancies' role in wildlife protection

A proposal to give elephants the highest level of international protection was rejected at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) CoP17 in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

The proposal to list all African elephants in Appendix 1 failed to attain the two-thirds majority vote needed. European Union member states, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia were among the countries that voted against. This means high international prices and a big demand for ivory will curtail national efforts to stop the poaching menace.