The amendment to prohibit trade of products derived from hippopotamus, narwhal, killer whale and sperm whale ivory came into force last week. Conservationists and environmental MPs actively support this change as they work towards “halting species extinction by 2030” as described in the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Over 60,000kg of illegal ivory has been seized globally since the 1990s with China being the highest consumers followed by the US and Europe. Although many countries have CITES quotas in place to limit the trade, export and import disparities suggest the illegal trade is still very prominent. Ivory is estimated to make up a third of the global illegal wildlife trade, worth $22.8 billion USD.

Vulnerable species

Elephants are the most threatened by ivory poaching with around 50,000 estimated to be killed every year. Most protection and prevention projects are directed towards elephant conservation, often disregarding other species which are becoming more and more vulnerable to this issue.

Hong Kong acts as a transit hub for illegal wildlife trade due to its geographical connectivity and poor regulation of its airports. 90% of hippopotamus products are imported to Hong Kong from wild caught animals in Africa as import licenses are not required. The species has since been listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Redlist with poaching in Tanzania and Uganda as its largest threat. Although Uganda banned commercial exports in 2014, Hong Kong continues to import hippo ivory since there is no law against importing illegally exported goods.  

The UK Ivory Trade

While the UK Ivory Act is renowned for being one of toughest in the world, it is important to note that exemptions still apply for trading “artistic and cultural artefacts” and many threatened species are still not protected by this law. Ivory carvings, pieces and tusks from the protected species are still imported and domestically traded for ‘exhibition’ purposes which covers museums, educational facilities and artwork. The majority of these are imported from Australia, China and South Africa but whether they are derived from stockpiles or recent poaching activities is impossible to determine.

Concerns have been raised about the detectability of ivory from a protected species. Existing methods of identification include comparing Schreger lines or patterning, structure and size but products made from polished ivory are much harder to decipher. Some scientists have suggested integrating extinct species into trade legislation due to the deliberate mislabelling of elephant tusks as mammoth ivory, which is legally traded in the UK.

International bans

In 1989, CITES introduced a ban on the international trade of ivory for commercial purposes, following African elephants being listed in appendix 1 (threatened with extinction). This led to a reduction in the decline of elephant populations and consumer attitude shifts in various parts of the world. In Japan, the ban was the biggest driver of the trade declining alongside cultural changes and a recession, shifting the demand down for 70% of the population. Despite this, the effectiveness of the ban has been debated since countries continue to trade ivory domestically and research suggests it may be responsible for higher illegal trade.

Illegal trade

When new laws are implemented to ban an animal product, it raises the black-market value and unintentionally encourages higher poaching incentives and illegal stockpiling. In China, the annual ivory consumption has dropped by more than half since the CITES ban, but ivory products are commonly trafficked by organised crime groups with the country making up 84% of global illegal trade. Additionally, when only one species is protected, there is an increase in the legal trade of ivory from species not covered by legislation.

As we work towards cutting out illegal wildlife trade, we must continue to set international legislations to fill loopholes created by different forms of law enforcement. If poaching is regulated with hunting quotas and trade is managed effectively then the populations of the species covered by the Ivory Act can return to a stable state. The UK is leading by example, but community engagement is also required to implement these laws in the largest consumer countries.