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Bans on the domestic ivory trades in China and the USA will not on their own put an end to elephant poaching, according to wildlife conservationists. WWF and the wildlife-trade monitoring group Traffic welcomed a joint announcement by the two countries’ presidents that they would enact “nearly complete bans on ivory imports and exports”, saying that they would have “a major impact if adequately policed”.
But they added that both the Chinese and US governments needed “to continue their efforts to reduce demand for ivory, raise public awareness, and work with other governments, NGOs, civil society, the private sector and local communities to end the illegal ivory trade”. An estimated 30,000–35,000 elephants are killed in Africa every year, primarily for their tusks, most of which end up being traded on to China.
