closure of domestic ivory markets in the European Union (EU)

We are currently living through a difficult period with the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacting our health, wellbeing, and economies. The emergence of infectious diseases like COVID-19, that spread from wildlife to humans, provides a stark demonstration of the dramatic societal and economic costs that can result from the destruction of nature and unchecked commercial trade in wildlife. We welcome announcements that recovery from this crisis will require a rethinking of the EU economic system and a new green transition. Such a transition needs to include a comprehensive EU-wide ban on the import, (re)export, and internal trade in ivory.