HARARE, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe is sitting on ivory stockpiles worth more than 9 billion U.S. dollars which it cannot sell due to an international ban on ivory trade, a government minister said.
Environment, Water and Climate Change Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri was quoted Thursday in the state-run Herald newspaper as saying that if allowed to sell, the amount could help in reviving the country's ailing economy.
The minister said the Southern African Development Community in which Zimbabwe is a member was lobbying for the ban imposed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to be lifted so that the region can unlock value from its abundant wildlife resources.
"We have 96 tonnes of ivory and if we sell it, we will realize about 9.1 billion dollars," the minister was quoted as saying.
Last month, the minister said Zimbabwe would lobby for the lifting of the ban at the upcoming 17th session of Conference of Parties (COP 17) to CITES to be held in South Africa in September this year.
She said the trade ban was depriving the Zimbabwean population from benefiting from its wildlife resources, adding the country's huge ivory stockpiles had become dangerous to protect due to rising illegal trade in ivory.
She also said Zimbabwe would not burn its ivory like what Kenya did a few months ago.
"Burning of ivory is not an option for Zimbabwe. We need the resources in order to support our communities and wildlife conservation programs," she said then.
