In 1989 CITES banned international trade in African-Elephant ivory. A few years after the ban some African countries complained that their elephant populations were increasing towards unmanageable levels. They wanted to sell ivory which they believed would enhance their conservation efforts.
In 1997 CITES allowed Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana to sell about 49 tonnes of ivory, that they had accumulated over the years, to Japan. However other African countries such as Kenya protested this move and their opposition ensured that the ban remained in force. CITES had also allowed Singapore and Burundi to sell their stockpiles of tusks.
Investigators from the Environmental International Agency (EIA) later found out that a decision to sell stockpiles of tusks in Singapore and Burundi had the negative effect of increasing the value of ivory on the international market. This inadvertently increased the appetite for ivory and rewarded smugglers.
Despite all the protests and availability of research data showing that lifting the ivory ban is detrimental to the existence of elephants, CITES continued to lend an ear to countries holding the view that selling ivory supports their conservation efforts.
In 2008, CITES allowed South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana to sell 108 tonnes of ivory to Japan and China. The inclusion of china as a market for ivory was met with a lot of protests. This was despite the fact that two years earlier, 19 African Countries had signed a declaration in Asia calling for a total ivory ban.
The countries then met again in Nairobi in 2007 under the auspices of CITES and called for a 20 year moratorium on ivory.
Efforts to ban trade in ivory totally have recently received a major boost from China, which is the biggest market for poached ivory, and the United States of America.
In May 2015, China agreed to phase and the legal domestic manufacture and sale of ivory. The U.S even crashed a ton of ivory at New York’s Times Square in a symbolic gesture to show solidarity with countries that were calling for a ban in ivory trade.
In September 2015, China and U.S.A agreed to work out a plan that completely leads to the banning of import and export
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| Loxodonta africana in the Ngorongoro crater. by Schuyler Shepherd |
In 1997 CITES allowed Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana to sell about 49 tonnes of ivory, that they had accumulated over the years, to Japan. However other African countries such as Kenya protested this move and their opposition ensured that the ban remained in force. CITES had also allowed Singapore and Burundi to sell their stockpiles of tusks.
Investigators from the Environmental International Agency (EIA) later found out that a decision to sell stockpiles of tusks in Singapore and Burundi had the negative effect of increasing the value of ivory on the international market. This inadvertently increased the appetite for ivory and rewarded smugglers.
Despite all the protests and availability of research data showing that lifting the ivory ban is detrimental to the existence of elephants, CITES continued to lend an ear to countries holding the view that selling ivory supports their conservation efforts.
In 2008, CITES allowed South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana to sell 108 tonnes of ivory to Japan and China. The inclusion of china as a market for ivory was met with a lot of protests. This was despite the fact that two years earlier, 19 African Countries had signed a declaration in Asia calling for a total ivory ban.
The countries then met again in Nairobi in 2007 under the auspices of CITES and called for a 20 year moratorium on ivory.
Efforts to ban trade in ivory totally have recently received a major boost from China, which is the biggest market for poached ivory, and the United States of America.
In May 2015, China agreed to phase and the legal domestic manufacture and sale of ivory. The U.S even crashed a ton of ivory at New York’s Times Square in a symbolic gesture to show solidarity with countries that were calling for a ban in ivory trade.
In September 2015, China and U.S.A agreed to work out a plan that completely leads to the banning of import and export
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