Four southern African countries are to seek permission to sell stockpiles of elephant ivory.

The South African environment minister, Valli Moosa, said the application would be presented in April at a meeting of the United Nations-sponsored Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species CITES.

He said his country's tusks were recovered mainly from animals which had died naturally in the Kruger National Park.

Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana also want to sell ivory stocks following an experimental auction to Japanese buyers last year.

Enviromentalists and some African states, including Kenya, oppose ivory sales because they fear the trade would encourage poaching.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service