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This article focuses on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, held this month in Namibia. The discussion is likely to be steeped in controversy, not least because of the complexity of the economic and ecological arguments involved. Managing elephant populations and evaluating the sustainability of the ivory trade require not only detailed economic analyses, but also recognition of the ecological complexities that influence decisions about elephant management. With growing elephant and human populations competing for land, it has been pointed out that wildlife may be exploited unsustainable and that habitat will be converted to other more lucrative purposes by local people or investors.