China Close down of Ivory Businesses
Posted on April, 05 2017
The recent closure by Beijing of 67 ivory factories will definitely contribute positively towards saving elephants from poachers, especially in Tanzania.
It’s no wonder that the permanent secretary in the ministry of natural resources and tourism, General Gaudence Milanzi was quick to pour praise on the Chinese government.Since Beijing announced plans to ban ivory trade in the country which tops in ivory market in the world, there has been a steady decline in the price of ivory from 2,100 US dollars per kilogramme in 2014 to 730 in February 2017.
General Milanzi’s statement that he has no doubt over Beijing’s commitment to bring an end to ivory trade in China was a significant bait to push Beijing into bringing to a halt the ivory trade.
It is definitely a good start towards zero poaching, although the struggle is still on because our definition of zero poaching includes zero signs of poaching and not just animals poached such as poacher camps, shots and snares.
To ensure that there is zero poaching WWF Tanzania in the Selous Game Reserve where the poaching cases are the highest has identified the following pillars: the need for a stronger judiciary, properly equipped and trained rangers/village game scouts and the retention scheme.
WWF is working towards these pillars and the China’s move to ban ivory trade will push our efforts towards the right direction we want to head to.
