China has officially shut down the last of the Ivory factories and shops. A move that can potentially save the African Elephant from “Vulnerable status”.
The African Elephant is currently listed as “Vulnerable” on the endangered species list. In recent years, the number of elephants being poached for their tusks has increased.
China has the largest Ivory market in the world and carving it was an “intangible cultural tradition”. That is why it was highly praised when the government committed to closing commercial carving factories and shops. In March 2017, they shut down the first 67 businesses and as of the last day in 2017 all factories and stores have been closed.
Any businesses still operating are now considered illegal.
“The closure of China’s ivory market is a historic milestone in the effort to save elephants,”
“When China, the world’s largest ivory market and a country that once designated ivory carving as an intangible cultural tradition, can resoundingly reject the trade, no other country should have any excuse to drag their feet on banning this pernicious trade.” – Iris Ho, Wildlife programme manager for Humane Society International(HSI)
This movement has left many feeling very optimistic, however, there is much more to be done in the fight against poaching. Rob Brandford, executive director of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) feels that the laws need to be strict and the focus should move to the syndicates. He does, however, believe that the restriction of sales will at least make things harder for the illegal trade.
“We must be extremely mindful of any illegal trade moving to countries neighboring China, noticeably Vietnam and Thailand, as what is critical is that we end all trade and we cannot afford for criminal syndicates involved in ivory to simply move their operations to other countries with more open rules on the sale of ivory.”
“This law should, however, shut the door on the ability to buy ivory and, as such, make it harder for illegal ivory to be filtered into the market,”
by 