China announces a 'game-changing' step for elephant conservation

Andrew Freedman
Updated
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China, the world's largest market for ivory, announced this week that it will shut down its trade in such goods by the end of 2017. This will close down the world's largest commercial ivory market, and could help elephant populations stabilize and recover in Africa.

The decision to close down its domestic commercial elephant ivory trade is being hailed as a potentially transformative step toward protecting Africa's elephants, which are being slaughtered for their valuable tusks that are made of ivory. 

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“This is a game changer for Africa’s elephants,” said Aili Kang, the executive director for Asia at the Wildlife Conservation Society, in a statement. "I am very proud of my country for showing this leadership that will help ensure that elephants have a fighting chance to beat extinction."

The action comes as a global movement to shut down the ivory trade has come closer to succeeding, even as elephant populations teeter on the edge of critically low levels. 

An elephant walks through the bush at the Southern African Wildlife College on the edge of Kruger National Park in South Africa.
An elephant walks through the bush at the Southern African Wildlife College on the edge of Kruger National Park in South Africa.

Image: AP

Africa's elephant population numbered as much as 1.2 million 35 years ago but is down to as few as 350,000 now, according to the WCS and the recently concluded Great Elephant Census.

In July, the United States implemented a near-total domestic ban on the trade in African elephant ivory. In addition, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) voted to support the shutdown of all domestic ivory markets. However, that organization does not have authority over what national governments choose to do. 

In 2015, Chinese president Xi Jinping and President Obama pledged to end the elephant ivory trade in their respective nations. 

According to the statement from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the language used in the announcement from the General Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China is particularly significant. 

For example, the State Council said that "ivory carving groups will be encouraged to change their business; and ivory carving masters will be encouraged to work for museums to do work related to culture relic restoration." 

China is vowing to step up enforcement actions to crack down on illegal processing sites and cutting off illegal trading. 

The decision to move forward with a national ban on commercial elephant ivory sales is a major departure from China's previous position on this issue, which held that cultural and business traditions necessitated continued use of elephant ivory. 

Poachers kill between 20,000-30,000 African elephants each year for the illegal ivory trade, which is primarily run by organized crime syndicates with money funneling to them from demand in Asia. 

According to the World Wildlife Fund, Africa's elephants have declined by more than 20 percent in the past decade. 

While China's announcement is positive news for elephant conservation, there is concern that more demand will shift to other Asian nations, such as Japan.