Tag Archives: Ivory
14 January 2014
On 6 January 2014, six tonnes of confiscated ivory (ornaments, tusks and carvings) were publicly destroyed by Chinese authorities in the city of Dongguan, in an effort to combat the illegal trade in elephant tusks.
UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Achim Steiner said: “[t]he largest remaining land mammal on the planet is facing one of the greatest crises to hit the species in decades (…) Yet, there is reason for optimism. International cooperation is paving the way towards improved law enforcement and increased efforts to reduce demand. These efforts need to be stepped up and strengthened to produce the desired results (…) We have also seen the destruction of ivory stockpiles across range, transit and demand states: in the Philippines, the Gabon, the United States and China among others. As well as create critical public awareness, such actions send a clear message that wildlife crime will not be tolerated.” (more…)
Source: UN News Centre | UN agency praises China’s destruction of ivory stockpile
Source: UNEP News Centre | UN Applauds China Efforts to Combat Illegal Ivory Trade
9 August 2013
In a statement published, the CITES Secretary-General and the Director-General of UNESCO have called on the international community to increase its cooperative efforts, on both national and international levels, to fight illegal ivory trade and increasing poaching of the African elephant.
According to the authors, strengthening ties among the concerned stakeholders, including governments and NGOs, is the only way to fight organised wildlife crime. Increased cooperation is needed to maintain borders and sanction criminals and intermediaries, and states with destination markets, primarily in Asia, need to engage in awareness-raising.
Source: CITES | Secratary-General's statements | Wildlife crime is robbing the future of Africa - Jeune Afrique
19 July 2013
Hong Kong customs officials announced the seizure of smuggled ivory worth $ 2.25 million on a Togolese container. The shipment contained 1,148 elephant tusks and is one of the largest seizures ever made in Hong Kong.
The seizure is the fifth ivory seizure in Hong Kong since last October, all originating in Africa where conservationists say elephant populations are in crisis. According to the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, the increasing large-scale shipments indicate the involvement of criminal organizations that smuggle ivory through South-East Asian states to major markets such as China. In Asia, growing affluence has resulted in soaring demand for wildlife products, while enforcement and penalties often remain weak, wildlife experts say.
Source: The New York Times | Hong Kong Seizes Smuggled Elephant Tusks