Several tons of
confiscated elephant tusks and carvings were crushed in a ceremony in
the city of Guangzhou on Monday -- just two months after the United
States destroyed its own ivory stockpile.
Conservationists have
welcomed the move as a monumental shift in the government's approach to
the ivory trade, and a crucial first step for China -- the world's
largest ivory market -- to tackle illicit wildlife trafficking.
Some 6.15 tons of ivory
were destroyed on Monday -- equivalent to one-sixth of the illegal ivory
confiscated worldwide in 2012 -- according to May Mei, the Chinese
chief representative of wildlife protection group, WildAid, who attended
the ceremony.
It's the first time China, which accounts for around 70% of global demand for ivory, has destroyed any of its stockpile.
The fact that China is
taking a public stance against the practice is an encouraging sign, says
Jeff He, special assistant to the Asia Regional Director at the
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
"With the government
taking such a symbolic action, it sends out a very strong message to the
potential consumers that the government won't allow any illegal trade
in ivory," he said.
Ivory is known as "white
gold" in China and tusks with intricate carvings can fetch almost $3,000
per kilogram on the black market. One of the biggest challenges remains
dampening demand among consumers, say animal welfare campaigners.
According to a 2013 WildAid report,
many Chinese residents have little awareness of how ivory sales
contribute to the poaching that has caused the world's elephant
population to dwindle in recent years.
"This event in itself is
not going to solve these issues," said Joe Waltson, Asia Program
Director at the Wildlife Conservation Society, "but that doesn't mean it
doesn't have any value."
"It needs to be
welcomed, if only to embolden those within the Chinese government who
are pushing for more substantive action on this issue," Waltson said.
"It could really have an impact on the conservation of African and Asian elephants."
A report released by the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species
last year found that the global illegal ivory trade has tripled in the
last decade, in spite of 1989-ban on the international trade of the
product.
According to the IFAW's
Jeff He, a rise in demand from Asia, and especially China, in recent
years has fueled the black market and put increasing pressure on African
elephants in the wild.
The elephant population
in Africa has now shrunk to around half a million, from 1.2 million in
1980. Nearly one hundred African elephants are killed for their tusks
every day, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
To help wipe out the
demand for ivory, conservation groups have called on governments to
destroy confiscated ivory stockpiles, which often require substantial
resources to keep secure.
On November 15, the U.S. destroyed
its entire 6-ton stockpile of ivory "to send a clear message that the
United States will not tolerate ivory trafficking and the toll it is
taking on elephant populations, particularly in Africa." Similar events
have taken place in the Philippines, Gabon, and Kenya in the last three
years.
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