HARARE, Sept. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Zimbabwe, with an elephant population of almost three times its carrying capacity, will back South Africa and Namibia's proposals for resumption of limited sales of ivory at the next Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), officials said here Monday.

    A high-powered delegation is expected to leave the country on Tuesday to join other countries at the 13th Conference of the Parties of CITES from Oct. 2 to 15 in Bangkok, Thailand.

    Environment and Tourism Minister Francis Nhema will lead the delegation that comprises senior officials from the ministry as well as those from parks, Wildlife Management Authority and the Association of Rural District Councils.

    Nhema said he would be part of the delegation to the CITES meeting, which is held once every two years.

    The Parks and Wildlife Management Authority director general, Morrison Mutsambiwa, who will also be in the delegation, said the Zimbabwean government would not be presenting any proposals to themeeting.

    "We are going to support proposals by other Southern African Development Community countries," he said.

    Mutsambiwa said Zimbabwe would support proposals by Namibia andSouth Africa who want permission to sell a quarter of their ivory stockpiles as well to hold annual sales.

    Zimbabwe would also back proposals by the two countries to support the promotion of commercial trade in worked ivory, he said.

    At the moment, Zimbabwe is the only country allowed to sell worked ivory to tourists for personal use, not for commercial purposes.

    Tourists are allowed to purchase pieces of worked ivory such asnecklaces whose value does not exceed 500 US dollars.

    The size of the elephant population in Zimbabwe has exceeded the normal carrying capacity of its national parks. It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 elephants in the national parks, whose carrying capacity is 40,000.

    The excess population is causing serious damage to the environment and affecting other ecosystems, with small animal species slowly disappearing.

    Pressure from animal rights groups has however prevented CITES from authorizing measures to reduce the size of the elephant herd.

    "They should not think that when we want to reduce the population of elephants, we want to sell ivory," he said.

    The Campfire Association director, Charles Jonga, said Zimbabwewould oppose the proposal by Kenya to have lions lifted from Appendix 1 to Appendix 2.

    Kenya is arguing that its population of lions is facing extinction.

    "The ban won't serve any purpose except to reposition the lion as a pest," he said.

    The debate over resumption of a legal ivory trade has gained heat before the CITES' Bangkok conference, at which the CITES Standing Committee will decide whether Botswana, Namibia and SouthAfrica can sell off their registered stocks as agreed at the previous conference and Namibia will propose an annual quota for ivory trade.

    Pros to the proposal of enlarged legal ivory trade said the resumption of the trade will provide much-needed cash to many African countries that lack financial support for economic and social development.

    Cons noted poaching of wild elephants will deteriorate with theresumption of legal ivory trade, for it's difficulty to track the origin of ivory for lack of efficient trade controls.

    In a bid to save its elephant from poaching, Kenya will lead some central and western African countries in the conference to propose a 20-year moratorium of any trade of raw and worked ivory,if the coming conference approves Botswana, Namibia and South Africa to proceed with their trading of stocked ivory.

    Kenya, which lost about 85 percent of its elephant population due to poaching before 1989, has seen its elephants increasing from 60,000 to more than 100,000 due to a total ban on ivory tradeeffective in 1989.

    About 100 proposals and resolutions to protect various species of plants and animals will be discussed at this year's CITES meeting, which will be attended by delegations from 166 nations and regions. Enditem