This March, the fate of the African elephant once again will be in the hands of the countries party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) when they will respond to southern African requests to resume international trade in ivory by down listing the elephant to Appendix II. Once united, the coalition of southern African countries (Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, an Zimbabwe), now is deeply divided over the legal, economic, and ecological implications of resumed ivory trade.