United Kingdom to Ban Ivory Trade in Attempt to End Elephant Poaching

A two-month-old male elephant calf chasing an Egyptian goose

The government of the United Kingdom has recently announced that it will introduce a "total ban" on the trade and sale of nearly all ivory in an effort to end elephant poaching. The country is currently the largest exporter of legal ivory in the world, with pieces carved before 1947 or worked on before 1990 with government certificates lawfully allowed to be sold. The projected ban would prevent ivory trade all together and will possibly be launched next year. The government claimed it wants to help stop 20,000 elephants being poached every year. Environment Secretary Michael Gove claimed that the legal trade "masks the illegal trade", and that it was "far easier, far more effective" to entirely ban it all together. The announcement of the ban is due to the pressure on the government from campaign groups and notable figures in spite of the policy not being included in the 2016 Conservative General Election proclamation. Among the individuals who previously demanded ban on the ivory trade included Stephen Hawking, Prince William, and former Tory leader William Hague. Boris Johnson, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, even called for the ban within the cabinet. In the consultation announcement, Mr. Gove indicated that the plans for the ban "will put the U.K front and center of global efforts to end the insidious trade in ivory."

It is tremendous news that the government of U.K has announced a complete ban on ivory trade with very limited exceptions, in order to stop elephant poaching. The announcement was welcomed by everybody, including elephant conservation charity Tusk, which suggested that the government should move quickly to close its ivory market following the consultation and before the country presents the next conference on the illegal wildlife trade in 2018. This is extremely crucial because it would look embarrassing on U.K's part if the ivory trade is still allowed, while other countries like China are pressured to fight the illegal trade. Countries such as China where the demand for elephant ivory, rhino horns, and other products made from endangered wildlife remain high should not be seen as the only countries whose governments should be pressured to ban the illegal trade of such items. Governments of other countries, not just U.K, must also ban the illegal ivory trade if they are to help in effort to end poaching of elephants and other endangered wildlife. John Stephenson, chief executive of Stop Ivory, stated that this unparalleled crisis will only end if people stop buying ivory and other products of endangered wildlife. The public must step up in the fight against poaching and the illegal wildlife trade by never purchasing such illegal items.

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