Eliminating the Ivory Trade
Following decades of unrelenting slaughter of elephants for their ivory, the
ivory trade was banned in 1989 by the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES) in response to international pressure from the
conservation community, including IFAW.
Yet, in 1997, CITES agreed to partially lift the ban,
down-listing the status of elephants in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia so that
those countries could export ivory stockpiles in a one-time sale to
Japan.
IFAW is an outspoken opponent of any relaxation of the ivory trade ban because it fuels the market for illegal ivory.
IFAW works with signatory governments to CITES in elephant range states and around the world to push for an end to the ivory trade.
In 2000, the CITES Conference of the Parties voted to allow South Africa to join with Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe to down-list their elephant populations.
At the November 2002 CITES meeting, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana were granted permission to conduct a conditional one-off sale of their specified ivory stockpiles (not before May 2004). Proposals from Zimbabwe and Zambia to sell off their stockpiles were rejected.
IFAW is extremely concerned about the potential for even limited ivory sales to lead to the widespread slaughter of elephants.
Many African countries are ill-equipped to meet basic CITES reporting requirements, and anti-poaching rangers in many regions lack government support and funding for personnel and equipment. In addition, most African countries do not yet have the law enforcement or legal framework to effectively fight poaching and control the ivory trade.
The trade of ivory from African elephants has also put tremendous pressure on Asian elephants, as only the males have tusks. Fuelled by the demand for ivory, poaching has significantly changed the population dynamics of Asian elephants, which number only 35,000-50,000 in the wild. In one nature reserve in India, there are 400 female elephants but only four adult males.
IFAW believes, based on past experience and global wildlife population dynamics, that the ivory trade cannot be controlled. Any reopening of the trade will be disastrous for both African and Asian elephants.
IFAW is an outspoken opponent of any relaxation of the ivory trade ban because it fuels the market for illegal ivory.
IFAW works with signatory governments to CITES in elephant range states and around the world to push for an end to the ivory trade.
In 2000, the CITES Conference of the Parties voted to allow South Africa to join with Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe to down-list their elephant populations.
At the November 2002 CITES meeting, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana were granted permission to conduct a conditional one-off sale of their specified ivory stockpiles (not before May 2004). Proposals from Zimbabwe and Zambia to sell off their stockpiles were rejected.
IFAW is extremely concerned about the potential for even limited ivory sales to lead to the widespread slaughter of elephants.
Many African countries are ill-equipped to meet basic CITES reporting requirements, and anti-poaching rangers in many regions lack government support and funding for personnel and equipment. In addition, most African countries do not yet have the law enforcement or legal framework to effectively fight poaching and control the ivory trade.
The trade of ivory from African elephants has also put tremendous pressure on Asian elephants, as only the males have tusks. Fuelled by the demand for ivory, poaching has significantly changed the population dynamics of Asian elephants, which number only 35,000-50,000 in the wild. In one nature reserve in India, there are 400 female elephants but only four adult males.
IFAW believes, based on past experience and global wildlife population dynamics, that the ivory trade cannot be controlled. Any reopening of the trade will be disastrous for both African and Asian elephants.
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IFAW in the News
Despite CITES protection, illegal poaching and trade continue. More than 1,200 tusks were recovered from one poaching operation, representing the deaths of hundreds of elephants. Photo © IFAW/ D. Willetts
