China's ban on Ivory trade by end of 2017, ban on sharkfin transporation

[ahojunk]

China's ban on Ivory trade by end of 2017 a monumental win for elephants: WWF
(CRI Online) 10:05, January 01, 2017

Confiscated ivory are destroyed at Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2015. The Chinese government on Friday destroyed 662 kg of confiscated ivory, in a move designed to demonstrate its stance against illegal wildlife trafficking. [Photo: Xinhua/Li Xin]

China will gradually stop the processing and sales of ivory for commercial purposes by the end of 2017, according to the central government website.

The decision announced on Friday came after the country imposed a three-year ban on ivory imports in March this year in an escalated fight against illegal trading of wild animals and plants.

The move will affect the country's 34 processing enterprises and 143 designated trading venues, with dozens to be closed by the end of March 2017, according to an official with the State Forestry Administration.

Before that deadline, law enforcement agencies will continue to clamp down on illegal activities associated with ivory, the official said.

The Chinese government's decision also won the praise of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), as it said on its official website that "we celebrate another big win for elephant conservation with China's game-changing decision to end the domestic ivory trade by 2017."

A screenshot of the official website of World Wildlife Found. [CRIENGLISH.com]

It added that two of the world's largest domestic ivory markets, China and the US, had shown great leadership in taking significant stands for elephant conservation and also called on other consumer markets across the world to follow suit.

Carter Roberts, president and CEO of the WWF, described China's decision as a "game changer for elephant conservation." He said that the future for wild elephants will be brighter with the world's two largest ivory markets taking measures to end the ivory trade and he also said the moves will "reverberate around the world."

According to the WWF, China and the US are two of the world's largest consumer markets for wildlife products including the Ivory trade. To completely crack down on the Ivory trade within the two countries, a joint commitment was made in September by Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama to impose a near-total ban on elephant ivory in their countries. The US ended its domestic ivory trade in June as new regulations were issued in the country to shut down the commercial elephant ivory trade within its border.


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I thought only the Far East is interested in ivory but was surprise to know that USA is another large market.
With the two biggest player banning ivory, we will see an increase in elephant numbers.
.

 

[my2cents]

Good going China.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

It added that two of the world's largest domestic ivory markets, China and the US, had shown great leadership in taking significant stands for elephant conservation and also called on other consumer markets across the world to follow suit.

Good. The deadline of the ban is going to be very aggressive as well, the sooner the better I think.

 

[Indika]

Good going China.

There will no change on the ground. Trading in tiger parts was banned long time back but illegal trade thrives. As long as there is demand trade will thrive. The areas with wildlife should increase local surveillance and punish the poachers with stringent punishment. Fighting illegal wildlife trade is more like war on drugs but unfortunately its the supply side which gets killed.

 

[AndrewJin]

Everyone sells and buys illegal wild life products should be severely punished, including death penalty if necessary.

 

[Cybernetics]

Laws and enforcement are not enough, there will always be illegal trade if there is demand. People are willing to kill and risk their lives for diamonds, if ivory is valuable then they will do the same. There needs to be a cultural component. An effort to redefine the definition of luxury should be made and promote an alternative to ivory. A combination of hard and soft tactics, ying and yang. Sad to see elephants die like this (some die very brutally). I'm not an animals rights activist but I just don't see a practical reason in killing elephants for ivory.

 

[gslv]

what if ivory is taken from naturally dead elephants and sold at a higher price legally and the money earned spent for the preservation of elephants?

 

[Cybernetics]

what if ivory is taken from naturally dead elephants and sold at a higher price legally and the money earned spent for the preservation of elephants?

A possible solution I guess or a stop gap solution. If all things remain constant, that means demand remains constant with a constricted supply. Prices will be very high and provide a big incentive for hunters to illegally kill elephants to meet demand. The less legal ivory that is sold the bigger the illegal market is potentially. To counter this, an even bigger legal/security apparatus is needed. The question being will the high prices x low supply be enough to offset the increase in security costs? I would argue the money is better spent shifting consumer demand through promotional/educational efforts.

I have to agree with you that ivory from dead elephants should have a market. Why waste a perfectly good tusk but be careful to not glorify it too much as a status symbol. We all know how men are when it comes to competing for power symbols.

 

[+4vsgorillas-Apebane]

what if ivory is taken from naturally dead elephants and sold at a higher price legally and the money earned spent for the preservation of elephants?

Just another incentive and loophole for killing elephants. Too difficult to establish whether an elephant naturally died or killed via clever poaching like cyanide poison.

Just ban it altogether.

The problem here is the demand for the ivory, fcukers just need to get it into their pretentious heads that ivory is not classy. It is a borgious and tasteless possession.

 

[gslv]

difficult to establish whether an elephant naturally died or killed via clever poaching like cyanide poison.

What if the ivory is only sold by government?

 

[+4vsgorillas-Apebane]

What if the ivory is only sold by government?

Hey its Africa, the governments there are usually corrupt fcukers who steal and plunder without second thought. If people give them a cut, they will stamp anything.

Ban the ivory and make it socially unacceptable to own. Just like fur coats, people these days are disgusted by others wearing them.

 

[Götterdämmerung]

Late but better than nothing. China should in fact ban all trades of wild animals and wild animal parts ... immediately!

How you treat animals reflects very much on how you treat people.

 

[ahojunk]

Ivory stockpiles could stymie government ban, expert says
2017-01-03 08:50 | China Daily | Editor: Feng Shuang

An ivory sculpture is displayed at the International Cultural and Creative Industry Expo in Beijing in 2015.
CAO BOYUAN/CHINA DAILY


China has taken a historic step to ban the commercial ivory trade by the end of 2017, but campaigners warn that legal ivory stockpiles could become an issue.

In 2008, China legally imported 62 metric tons of elephant tusks from four African countries under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, one of four legal sources in China.

To curb demand, the State Forestry Administration said it has put just 5 tons a year on the market for manufacturers.

However, the real consumption of legal ivory is less than that. According to an expert at an international NGO who declined to be identified, only an estimated 2 or 3 tons were processed and sold every year.

This means 40 tons of legal ivory was stockpiled at the end of last year, yet manufacturers will be banned from being able to use or sell it after Dec 31 this year.

A notice released by the State Council said only "legally sourced ivory products can be ... displayed, ... transported, gifted and inherited".

Officials from the administration did not respond for comment.

Mo Junhao, deputy general manager of Guangzhou Daxin Ivory Craft Factory in Guangdong province, said it has not received any notice from the local authorities, but "will simply follow the government's orders".

As to its remaining stockpile and how to deal with it, Mo said he could not share that information with the media.

Zhou Fei, head of the China office of Traffic, an NGO that monitors the global wildlife trade, said that according to the State Council notice, it is unlikely that the government would buy back the ivory.

"When the Chinese government banned the processing and sale of tiger bones, the government didn't purchase or destroy the tiger bones," Zhou said. "Actually, companies already have enough time to deal with the stockpile. As early as May 2015, Zhao Shucong, former chief of the State Forestry Administration, said that China would ban the legal ivory market.

"If processing and sale sites cannot find buyers before the end of this year, then there is a reason to worry about where the stockpile will go," Zhou said.

Aili Kang, executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Asia program, said that if the government does not redeem the stockpile then there is a high possibility that it would go onto the black market and undermine the implementation of the policy.

She suggested the government register and seal all legal raw ivory and ivory product collections.

 

[ahojunk]

Tanzania hails China's ivory ban
(CRI Online) 08:38, January 09, 2017

Photo shows an elephant in Tanzania.[Photo: baidu.com]

Tanzania welcomed China's latest decision to ban ivory trade and processing activities, saying the move marked a historic milestone in efforts to save the giant mammals from poaching.

The country's Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Jumanne Maghembe said the move would reduce costs African countries injected in the fight against poaching activities.

China on December 30 announced that it will gradually stop the processing and sales of ivories for commercial purposes by the end of 2017.

"I would like to praise Chinese government's move. It is a great step towards protecting elephants. With the ban decision, automatically, ivory price would decrease and make the business less preferred," Maghembe said.

"The business attracted many people because they were paid handsome amount to find trophies, a situation that increases killing and poaching of elephants," the Minister told Xinhua in a telephone interview.

The minister also reiterated Tanzania's position in protecting elephants, adding other countries should imitate China's decision.

Tanzania wildlife activists also welcome China's decision to ban ivory trade, saying that the move is crucial to revive wildlife protection initiatives in Tanzania and Africa at large.

Pastor Clement Matwiga, Director of Rafiki Wildlife Foundation said China has shown beyond doubt that it is a true friend in relation to African problems including giant mammals poaching.

"I would also like to congratulate Tanzania government to be fore-front in fighting elephant poaching; moreover, I would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt appreciations to Chinese government for announcing to ban ivory trade," Matwiga said.

"This shows how determined China is in protecting Africa's wildlife, they are once again demonstrating to be our true friends," he said.

Shubert Mwarabu, Coordinator of OKOA Tembo wa Tanzania campaign or Rescue Tanzania Elephant, said China's ban on ivory trade is a huge milestone in protecting Tanzania elephant generations.

"The closure of the market will lead to long-term security for our elephants. This is probably the greatest measure that could be taken to reduce elephant poaching," he stressed.

Demand for ivory in Asian countries are often blamed for increasing haunt and killings of elephants in Tanzania.
A government census of 2015 in Tanzania revealed that 60 percent of elephants had been lost over a period of five years.

Tanzania's elephant population is one of the largest in Africa. But according to data released by the government in June 2015, between 2009 and 2014, the population had dropped from 109, 051 to 43,521.


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China did the right thing.
Tanzanians expressing appreciations.
.

 

[ahojunk]

Sort of related, the ban on shark fins. Good job Air China!

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NGO hails Air China's ban on shark fins, calls on more airlines to follow
2017-01-12 08:46 | People's Daily Online | Editor: Li Yan

Air China Cargo has officially announced its company-wide ban on transporting shark fins, making its mother company the first airline from the Chinese mainland to ban the products, which have caused the over-hunting of sharks in many waters.

"Air China Cargo has a long-standing commitment to playing our role in a more sustainable world. We understand the community's desire to promote responsible and sustainable marine sourcing practices, and this remains important to Air China Cargo's overall sustainable development goals," wrote Air China Cargo, an affiliate of Air China, in a press release on Jan. 6.

The company added that it is one of the first airlines in China to raise awareness about the unsustainability of the global shark trade.

"We applaud Air China for taking an ethical stance on this issue to help protect sharks and help our oceans," said Alex Hofford, a wildlife campaigner with the NGO WildAid. Hofford petitioned Air China to ban shark fin cargo in December 2016. In a WildAid press release, the organization also called on FedEx to take action to save sharks, and said it would approach more Chinese airlines in the future in an attempt to widen the ban.

"Full enforcement of shark fin bans by airlines and shipping lines is vital to their success. Airlines and shipping lines should strictly check that shark fin cargo presented for shipment is not being simply mislabeled and shipped as seafood, dried seafood or dried marine products etc," WildAid stressed in its press release.

Air China is the 36th international airline to ban the transportation of shark fins, along with another 17 international shipping companies. In July 2016, China COSCO Shipping Corporation also banned the transport of shark fins, Thepaper.cn reported.

Despite being a nation enamored with shark fin as a delicacy, Chinese citizens are also increasingly aware of shrinking shark populations, along with other wildlife protection causes. In addition to many restaurants skipping dishes with shark fins, a number of shops have also enacted "no shark fin" policies, as more and more of the public sees shark fins as a brutal violation rather than food.