Ivory stockpile data

Scott Edmunds made this Freedom of Information request to Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

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Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department did not have the information requested.

Dear Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department,

I was looking at the statistics for the tons of legal ivory stockpiled in Hong Kong from 1989-2014, and could see the exact 1991 and 1993 datapoints are not listed. Can you provide me with the exact data for this rather than projections? Do you also have the 2015 data yet?

Yours faithfully,

Scott Edmunds

We acknowledge receipt of your e-mail.(This is generated by an auto-reply
program.)Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. 本署已接獲您的
電郵，內容備悉。(以上為
電腦自動發出的訊息。) 漁農自然護理署

Dear Mr. Edmunds,

I refer to your email of 21 July 2016 requesting for the quantity of legal
ivory stockpile in Hong Kong for 1991, 1993 and 2015.

In 2015, the quantity of ivory covered by Licences to Possess for
commercial purposes were 77.5 tonnes. We do not have record on the
quantity of ivory stock for 1991 and 1993.

Regards,
Azaria K.Y. WONG, Ph.D.
Endangered Species Protection Officer
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

----- Forwarded by MAILBOX/AFCD/HKSARG on 21/07/2016 12:08 -----

From: Scott Edmunds <[FOI #96 email]>
To: "FOI requests at Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation
Department" <[Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department request email]>
Date: 21/07/2016 02:40
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Ivory stockpile data

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Dear Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department,

I was looking at the statistics for the tons of legal ivory stockpiled in
Hong Kong from 1989-2014, and could see the exact 1991 and 1993 datapoints
are not listed. Can you provide me with the exact data for this rather
than projections? Do you also have the 2015 data yet?

Yours faithfully,

Scott Edmunds

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Dear Azaria/AFCD,

Thanks for getting back to me. Its curious there are no records when data is available for every other year. Was there a reason given for this? What was the official AFCD response for not providing statistics those years?

Yours faithfully,

Scott Edmunds

Dear Mr. Edmunds,

The requested statistics of 1990s are more than 20 years old. We have
tried to retrieve as much data as possible from the old paper records but
the requested data of 1991 and 1993 were not available.

Regards,
Azaria K.Y. WONG, Ph.D.
Endangered Species Protection Officer
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

From: Scott Edmunds <[FOI #96 email]>
To: [email address]
Date: 28/07/2016 14:45
Subject: Re: Fw: Freedom of Information request - Ivory stockpile data

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Azaria/AFCD,

Thanks for getting back to me. Its curious there are no records when data
is available for every other year. Was there a reason given for this? What
was the official AFCD response for not providing statistics those years?

Yours faithfully,

Scott Edmunds

-----Original Message-----

Dear Mr. Edmunds,

I refer to your email of 21 July 2016 requesting for the quantity of legal
ivory stockpile in Hong Kong for 1991, 1993 and 2015.

In 2015, the quantity of ivory covered by Licences to Possess for
commercial purposes were 77.5 tonnes. We do not have record on the
quantity of ivory stock for 1991 and 1993.

Regards,
Azaria K.Y. WONG, Ph.D.
Endangered Species Protection Officer
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #96 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[1]https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

References

Visible links
1. https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

hide quoted sections

Dear Dr Wong/Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department,

It is of great public concern that two years of important documents detailing Hong Kong's domestic ivory trade have been declared missing by your department in your previous correspondence (4th August 2016)

I hereby request that AFCD provides further reasons on the nature and cause of the absence of these important records from 1991 and 1993. For example, if the 1991 and 1993 records are "not available", is this due to fire, flood, loss, theft or departmental negligence?

If so, can the department confirm officially the exact reason(s) for the loss, and if not, the reason(s) why you cannot tell me?

Has an official AFCD internal investigation into the loss of the 1991 and 1993 records ever been undertaken by the department, and if not, the reason(s) for that? Has the entire dossier of individual stockpile declaration of each individual or company ivory trader disappeared, or is it only the document with the final total that is missing? Furthermore, which department official was responsible for the loss?

I note with interest that Dr Lawrence Lee, the ex-Director of AFCD, served as Director of your department from March 1986 to March 1997, and still seems to be around and active on the KARC board. May I suggest that the current Director contact Dr Lee for this important data which is likely to still remain in his personal records.

This would save me having to go to take matters further. I.e. if Hong Kong's ivory trade stockpile data for 1991 and 1993, or an adequate reason for its loss, cannot be provided, I will then have to investigate further by referring the case to the Hong Kong Government's Records Service, the Hong Kong Government's Office of the Ombudsman and if this doesn't work, Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

Yours faithfully,

Scott Edmunds

Dear Mr. Edmunds,

Thank you for your email of 8 August 2016. We are working on your case and
shall reply to you when ready.

Regards,
Azaria K.Y. WONG, Ph.D.
Endangered Species Protection Officer
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

----- Forwarded by Azaria KY WONG/AFCD/HKSARG on 08/08/2016 11:46 -----

From: Scott Edmunds <[FOI #96 email]>
To: [email address]
Date: 08/08/2016 11:43
Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Ivory
stockpile data

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Dr Wong/Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department,

It is of great public concern that two years of important documents
detailing Hong Kong's domestic ivory trade have been declared missing by
your department in your previous correspondence (4th August 2016)

I hereby request that AFCD provides further reasons on the nature and
cause of the absence of these important records from 1991 and 1993. For
example, if the 1991 and 1993 records are "not available", is this due to
fire, flood, loss, theft or departmental negligence?

If so, can the department confirm officially the exact reason(s) for the
loss, and if not, the reason(s) why you cannot tell me?

Has an official AFCD internal investigation into the loss of the 1991 and
1993 records ever been undertaken by the department, and if not, the
reason(s) for that? Has the entire dossier of individual stockpile
declaration of each individual or company ivory trader disappeared, or is
it only the document with the final total that is missing? Furthermore,
which department official was responsible for the loss?

I note with interest that Dr Lawrence Lee, the ex-Director of AFCD, served
as Director of your department from March 1986 to March 1997, and still
seems to be around and active on the KARC board. May I suggest that the
current Director contact Dr Lee for this important data which is likely to
still remain in his personal records.

This would save me having to go to take matters further. I.e. if Hong
Kong's ivory trade stockpile data for 1991 and 1993, or an adequate reason
for its loss, cannot be provided, I will then have to investigate further
by referring the case to the Hong Kong Government's Records Service, the
Hong Kong Government's Office of the Ombudsman and if this doesn't work,
Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

Yours faithfully,

Scott Edmunds

-----Original Message-----

Dear Mr. Edmunds,

The requested statistics of 1990s are more than 20 years old. We have
tried to retrieve as much data as possible from the old paper records but
the requested data of 1991 and 1993 were not available.

Regards,
Azaria K.Y. WONG, Ph.D.
Endangered Species Protection Officer
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

From: Scott Edmunds <[FOI #96 email]>
To: [email address]
Date: 28/07/2016 14:45
Subject: Re: Fw: Freedom of Information request - Ivory stockpile data

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Azaria/AFCD,

Thanks for getting back to me. Its curious there are no records when data
is available for every other year. Was there a reason given for this? What
was the official AFCD response for not providing statistics those years?

Yours faithfully,

Scott Edmunds

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #96 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[1]https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

References

Visible links
1. https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

hide quoted sections

Dear Mr. Edmunds,

Thank you for your email of 8 August 2016.

You may wish to note that under "Animals and Plants (Protection of
Endangered Species) Ordinance, Cap. 187" (later replaced by Protection of
Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, Cap. 586), any person
who had in his possession of ivory must apply for a Possession Licence by
1990 unless exempted. An account on the quantity of ivory stock was done
in 1990. As the Possession Licence was valid for two years, updates were
made in 1992 and 1994 upon the renewal of the majority of the Possession
Licences due to expire in 1992 and 1994. From 1994 onwards, the quantity
of ivory stock has been updated on a yearly basis and the records were
made available to you earlier.

If you have further question, please feel free to contact me.

Regards,
Azaria K.Y. WONG, Ph.D.
Endangered Species Protection Officer
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

----- Forwarded by Azaria KY WONG/AFCD/HKSARG on 29/08/2016 09:50 -----

From: Azaria KY WONG/AFCD/HKSARG
To: Scott Edmunds <[FOI #96 email]>
Date: 17/08/2016 10:03
Subject: Fw: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Ivory
stockpile data