Efforts to halt ivory trade falling short

JOHANNESBURG — Poaching syndicates shipped large amounts of African elephant ivory last year despite global calls to dismantle the trafficking networks that often collude with corrupt officials, conservationists said as an international wildlife conference opened Saturday in South Africa.

The illegal ivory trade “has remained fairly constant at unacceptably high levels” since 2010, and in 2015 there was a “continuing upward trend” in the seizure of larger shipments of more than 220 pounds, according to a document released by organizers. The transfer of big amounts of ivory indicates the key role of organized crime in poaching, the document said.