Japan was fuming over the failure of its bid to expand trade in whale products and Africa swapped blows over ivory yesterday as a UN meeting on trade in wild plants and animals wrapped up.

Japan’s prospects for success were dim as most decisions were thrashed out earlier in the two-week conference and the plenary session is usually a rubber-stamp affair. But the fact that it tried displayed the depth of passion in on the subject in Japan, which railed about “cultural imperialism” from the West as it tried to loosen restrictions on the trade in whale products.

The 13th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has seen countries endorse plans to protect a range of species, from the great white shark of “Jaws” fame to Madagascar’s leaf-tailed gecko. Cities regulates global trade in wild plants and animals. Namibia failed to get permission for an annual export quota of 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) of ivory.

But during the plenary session, it got approval to allow local communities to trade in ivory trinkets, known as ekipas – a move bitterly opposed by Kenya. “This sends a wrong, wrong signal,” said Kenyan delegate Patrick Omondi. Kenya led the charge against the Namibian proposal because it fears any reopening of the invory trade will be exploited by poachers who will target its elephants in a bid to launder “dirty” ivory with fresh legal tusks.

Namibia countered that its elephant population was growing and healthy and that much of the ivory would come from natural deaths.

Conservation group WWF International said it was confident Nambia’s tightly controlled, small-scale trade in ivory trinkets would not lead to poaching of elephants. “This proposal is strictly for non-commercial trade, which means the ekipas can only be sold in Namibia and cannot be exported for resale,” said Susan Lieberman, head of the WWF delegation.

The decision allows two ethnic communities – the Owambo and Ovi-himba – to resume traditional ivory carving of amulets coveted by African art collectors. They can fetch up to $1,000 a piece and are bought mainly by American and European tourists. The United States and European Union would allow their citizens to import these items purchased for personal use and not resale. Conservationsists have hailed many of the conference’s decisions, including one to regulate global trade in around 30 species of ramin, a tropical hardwood in huge demand for furniture production.