China to Impose Ban on Domestic Ivory Trade in 2017

December 31st, 2016

Awake Goy

nsnbc : Beijing will impose a complete ban on domestic ivory trade before the end of 2017, announced the government. China has the world’s biggest end-user market for ivory, much of which has been poached in countries like Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, as well as several African counties.

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China’s State Council, on Friday, announced that a total ban would be enforced by December 31, 2017. The first factories and shops affected by the ban will have to hand in their licenses and in some cases close down by March 31, 2017.

The ban has been greeted welcome by environmental and conservationist organizations worldwide. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reported that poaching is a major factor in contributing to the rapid decline of the African elephant.

Some 20,000 of the remaining population of about 415,000 Africans are slaughtered every year. At the beginning of the 20th century there were an estimated 3 – 5 million. However, much of the ivory that ends up in China comes from poaching in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Persons or businesses with ivory products that were obtained by legal means can apply for certification to continue to possess and display them in exhibitions in museums, said the State Council.

Ironically, Beijing’s total ban will not be implemented in Hong Kong. Campaigners are urging the Hong Kong government to speed up its plan of phasing out the local ivory trade by the end of 2021. In June the USA implemented a near-total ban on commercial ivory trade from African elephants while there remains ambiguity about ivory from Asian elephants.

F/AK – nsnbc 21.12.2016

Source Article from http://nsnbc.me/2016/12/31/china-to-impose-ban-on-domestic-ivory-trade-in-2017/