Tuesday 19 July 2016

Stop Killing Elephants

Recent surveys in Africa show that elephant populations are falling dramatically across the continent.

- Data from the CITES-ETIS programme shows that ivory smuggling and seizures increased after the sale of ivory stockpiles from Southern African to China and Japan in 2008 and have been running at high and sustained levels for over five years. From 2010-2012, 100,000 elephants were killed for their ivory.
- Links between wildlife crime and criminal networks, gun running, human traf cking and terrorist or militia groups are well documented.
- Sound economic analysis does not support legalising trade. Rather it would risk a runaway expansion of ivory trade.
- One-off ivory stockpile sales in 1999 and 2008 and partial measures under CITES – with split-listings, stockpile accumulation, domestic ivory trade and continual discussions of a Decision-Making Mechanism for ivory trade – are not working and have contributed to the crisis.
- Elephants are not constrained by State borders, nor are national populations. Many are shared with more than one country, arguing for a uni ed continent-wide approach to their regulation under CITES.
- The US has implemented a near-ban on ivory trade, while China has banned imports and announced it will close its domestic markets. Hong Kong has also announced it will ban ivory trade.
- The EU must deliver on its commitments in the many resolutions and declarations in recent years to act decisively against ivory trade and poaching, both in the EU and in CITES.
- “WorthMoreAlive”, #EndIvoryTrade” is a campaign to gain support among other countries of CITES for the ve elephant proposals, also endorsing the Twitter hashtags #SupportAppendixI and #EndTrade
- Decisive action by CITES, delivering consistent, unambiguous measures to end the threat of trade – is urgent and overdue. Taken together, the ve proposals present a clear agenda: elephants and their ivory are not for sale.

A FIVE POINT PLAN TO SAVE ELEPHANTS

- All elephants listed in Appendix I
- Ivory stockpile management anddestruction
- Closure of domestic ivory markets
- Ending the decision making mech- anism for legalizing trade in ivory
- Restricting trade in live elephants

The 29 countries of the African Elephant Coalition, call for a total ban on ivory sales… join them!

Elephants are worth more alive than dead!

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