Tanzania has been refused permission to sell 80 tons of stockpiled ivory to Japan and China. It made the request at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which is meeting in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

Tanzania said it wanted to sell the stockpiles so it could build much-needed roads and schools. However CITES, a United Nations conference set up to protect threatened animals and plant species, denied the request, citing poor enforcement against poaching and illegal domestic sales. Illegal ivory trafficking, driven by Asian-based organized crime, has soared in recent years.

The trade in ivory was banned in 1989, in a bid to discourage elephant poaching. From time to time, however, permission is given to sell old stocks of ivory. This prompted Tanzania to make its request.