Ivory trade ban wins applause

Wildlife campaigners decry failure of other countries to follow suit

NAIROBI, Kenya — The historic decision by China to terminate commercial processing and sale of ivory will usher a new era for the protection of Africa’s elephants and other iconic species, campaigners and officials have said.

China’s State Forestry Administration announced the closure of the domestic ivory market on Dec 31, in line with a pledge made by Beijing at the end of 2016 to strengthen its role in the protection of Africa’s giant mammals.

It said the ivory trade ban was China’s “new year gift to the elephant” and will lead to the closure of 34 processing enterprises and 143 designated trading venues.

African wildlife campaigners have hailed the move by China to ban the trade in ivory products, saying it will help protect elephants, which are facing the threats of poaching and shrinking habitat.

Kaddu Sebunya, president of the Nairobi-based African Wildlife Foundation, said the ivory trade ban marked a significant milestone in the protection of elephants and other giant land mammals inhabiting the world’s second largest continent.

“The AWF commends China for the implementation of the ban. Already we have seen the effect, with an 80 percent decline in seizures of ivory entering China and a shrinking market,” Sebunya said.

This is a game changer in curbing elephant poaching and illegal trade in ivory, he said.

Sebunya noted that Beijing has consistently honored its earlier pledges to be part of global efforts aimed at eradicating the menace of poaching that has put the survival of African elephants at stake.

Kenyan officials applauded China’s move, saying it heralded a new dawn for the protection of elephants.

“I think this is a positive development and people will be discouraged from carrying out poaching now that a key ivory market has been dismantled. It means poaching will decline,” said Paul Gathitu, a spokesman for the Kenya Wildlife Service.

China’s example

He urged Japan and other countries where trade in ivory products is legal to emulate China’s example in a bid to save the remaining population of African elephants.

“We want all nations including Japan to take up this call and close their ivory markets,” said Gathitu.

John Stephenson, the CEO of Stop Ivory, also decried the failure of Japan to outlaw the ivory trade despite overwhelming evidence the practice is to blame for escalating the poaching crisis in Africa.

“Japan must not be one of the few remaining countries that regard the desire to buy and sell ivory as acceptable in the face of such devastation,” he said.