Fortnite Game of Thrones Books. Comics Music. Filed under: Report Science. Poaching is on the rise — most illegal ivory comes from recently killed elephants. Share this story Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share All sharing options Share All sharing options for: Poaching is on the rise — most illegal ivory comes from recently killed elephants. Linkedin Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email.
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Email required. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. Share this story Twitter Facebook. In the United States, regulations allow ivory to be legally imported into the country as hunting trophies and permit pre-ban ivory to be traded across state lines.
The Chinese government allows a portion of ivory from its own stockpile to be sold each year. Traffickers take advantage of the legal trade to launder their illegal wares, which are then presented to buyers as legitimate products. In fact, both China and the United States recently announced new laws that, if enacted, could significantly limit the amount of ivory in circulation.
The bad news is that, like drugs, if there is someone willing to buy, there is always someone willing to sell. That's why policymakers and conservation groups are now targeting the demand side of the problem. A crucial component of that strategy is gaining a deeper understanding of who buys ivory and why. GlobeScan spent eight months conducting surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus groups in the five countries in which demand for ivory is known to be concentrated: China, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and the United States.
Given that the middle class is growing in some of the countries surveyed, some of these people could become likely buyers in the near future. But there are specific drivers of demand that resonate more strongly in certain countries than others.
A sizeable portion of people in China 44 percent and the Philippines 39 percent view ivory as a token of good luck, compared to smaller numbers in Thailand 25 percent and the United States 17 percent.
And in some countries, reverence and respect for elephants imbues ivory with perceived qualities of rarity and beauty that contribute to its widespread appeal—which, in turn, leads to the slaughter of yet more elephants.
The takeaway lesson from the survey is that advocacy focused on the plight of elephants can sustain and increase public support for new measures to restrict the ivory trade—but curbing demand will require messages fine-tuned to resonate with ivory purchasers. Advocacy efforts on other issues have demonstrated how important it is to get inside the heads of target audiences.
Marketing research revealed that teens were already aware of these hazards and tended to view smoking as an act of empowerment and rebellion. The Truth campaign reversed that perception by showing young smokers the extent to which they were being manipulated by tobacco companies. The campaign against the ivory trade has already begun targeting its messages toward buyers. Similarly creative strategies will be needed to counter perceptions that ivory is a fashionable, exotic status symbol.
In Japan, for instance, the popularity of ivory fell in the s after the crown prince spoke out against it. Of course, not every country has royalty—let alone royalty that are well-regarded by its citizens.
But the National Geographic Society—GlobeScan survey compiled a ranking of the most trusted sources for information among ivory buyers. The top three are non-profit environmental organizations, scientists or academics, and family members or friends.
Law enforcement officials say the sharp increase in large seizures is a clear sign that organized crime has slipped into the ivory underworld, because only a well-oiled criminal machine -- with the help of corrupt officials -- could move hundreds of pounds of tusks thousands of miles across the globe, often using specially made shipping containers with secret compartments.
What in the world could fuel such demand for animal teeth? An ascendant Chinese middle class, whose millions can now afford the prized material. This explains the mechanics. Demand rises, price goes up, and the costs poachers and smugglers are willing to endure increase in sync.
But what underlies the demand? Why do so many Chinese people want these elongated cones of dentin? The comparison to diamonds is commonly made: Diamonds, like ivory, are a natural substance with little inherent value but prized social significance. Desire in richer lands tumbles poorer societies into resource wars and labor abuse. And certainly the modern dynamics are the same. But demand for ivory is something demand for diamonds is not: ancient.
And its history as a technology, a material with few peers for centuries, propels this demand even today. Diamonds, as a cultural symbol, are an invention of the 20th century , the result of a collaboration between Mad Men and De Beers. Ivory, in contrast, has been used and valued for millennia.
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