Elephant poaching and the ivory trade: The impact of demand reduction and enforcement efforts by China from 2005 – 2017

Abstract

African elephants are iconic species threatened by poaching and China was considered as one of the main destinations for illegally sourced ivory. In this article we combine two surveys of ivory carving enterprises with other data sets, including Chinese government seizure statistics, with market prices for illegal ivory and substitute goods, to understand the impact of enforcement and demand reduction measures on ivory prices and poaching. Our analysis indicates the strong enforcement measures to combat ivory smuggling, temporarily suppressed the tendency of illegal trade while stimulating a steep rise in illegal ivory prices thereafter. Peaking in 2012–2013, prices thereafter fell due to government measures to reduce demand under China's ‘Ecological Civilization’ programme and the announcement of ‘Eight-point Regulation’. Although our survey suggests that most Chinese carving enterprises were intending to close or to diversify their business activities away from ivory carving as a result of the total ban on domestic ivory trading by 31st December 2017 and China had banned domestic ivory trade for over half a year and all ivory carving enterprises closed their ivory business activities since this domestic ban. In order to prevent speculative demand in the world that may undermine Chinese efforts, we argue that other countries now also need to adopt multi-faceted actions to curtail their domestic ivory trade.

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Australia gets closer to banning domestic ivory trade

Australia is holding public hearings on potentially banning the domestic trade of ivory and rhino horns.

The country is under intense pressure after the UK proposed one of the most stringent ivory laws; the U.S. and China have also imposed a similar ban shutting down ivory trading.

A parliamentary committee was formed in April to investigate whether Australia’s ivory trade is leading to the massive poaching of African elephants.

The country currently bans the international trade of ivory procured before 1975, following the recommendation from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), however there is no ban in place for domestic trading.

Poachers and smugglers are exploiting loopholes in the pre-convention ivory rule to import and export new ivory pieces, boosting illegal trade. Ascertaining the age of ivory pieces also further complicates enforcement of the ban both in the physical and online market.

“Currently, there are no legal requirements on sellers, auctioneers or electronic marketplaces to provide evidence at the point of sale which demonstrates the legal importation, provenance, or age of an elephant or rhino specimen,” the parliamentary committee maintained.

Law enforcement agencies in the last decade have confiscated around 320 imported and 79 exported ivory pieces. International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in an undercover investigation in 2016 discovered the massive sale of ivory and rhino horns by Australian and New Zealand based auction houses.


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