China Bans Ivory, effect on African Poaching already

On December 31, 2017, China’s legal ivory trade ground to a standstill. China is thought to be the world’s largest consumer of ivory.

The move is in accordance with a 2015 announcement by Chinese President Xi Jinping and former US President Barack Obama. Both leaders vowed to enact “near complete” ivory bans within their respective countries.

America’s came into effect in June 2016.

In November last year, Donald Trump’s administration announced it would lift the ban on importing elephant hunt trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia, but after a political backlash, Mr Trump put the decision on hold.

The benefits of the 2015 decision are already starting to be felt.

Craig Millar, Head of Security and Field Operations for Big Life Foundation, told news.com.au: “Since China’s ban on ivory has come into effect we’ve seen not so much a drop in poaching, but a drop in prices.

“Kenya has been showing a steady decline in poaching for the last three years, and I’m hoping this year it will be a decline again. We reacted quite quickly to the most recent ivory poaching crisis so our elephant population is probably one of the least affected over the last five years.”

Mr Millar added that a drop in prices is only a good thing.

“Immediately after the announcement, we saw prices drop by as much as 50 to 60 per cent. And that just means the poacher on the ground here is getting way less than anyone at the end of the supply chain, so there’s even less incentive for him to risk his life.

“China seems to have a pretty firm hold of what’s going on, and the government deciding against something seems to be pretty readily accepted.”


More at source
http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/china-has-banned-ivory-but-has-the-african-elephant-poaching-crisis-actually-been-stemmed/news-story/b086f6a0e61acfcc15abeed18f899136