Worldwide Ban on Ivory Trading Is Imposed
In October 1989, the global trade in ivory was banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a decision made by 103 member nations in response to a significant decline in the African elephant population due to rampant poaching fueled by high demand for ivory. Historically valued for its aesthetic qualities, ivory has been used in various products, from art to everyday items like piano keys and combs. The ban was largely driven by conservationists, primarily from Western countries, who sought to protect endangered species. However, this decision faced opposition from several African nations, including Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, which had successfully implemented elephant conservation programs and experienced population surges, leading to challenges in managing these herds. In 1997, CITES made a limited exception to the ban, allowing these three countries to sell surplus ivory to Japan, a move that sparked concerns about potential increases in poaching elsewhere in Africa. The ivory trade remains a complex issue, balancing conservation efforts with the economic realities faced by countries where elephant populations thrive.
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Worldwide Ban on Ivory Trading Is Imposed
Worldwide Ban on Ivory Trading Is Imposed
On October 17, 1989, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which had 103 member nations, approved a worldwide ban on the ivory trade. Ivory, which comes from elephant tusks, has been highly prized for millennia for its beauty when worked into objects of art. It was also used for more mundane articles such as piano keys, billiard balls, and hair combs. The trade was ancient, but by the 1980s worldwide demand was devastating the African elephant population. Therefore, conservationists from primarily Western nations pressured CITES into imposing its ban. However, several African nations which had already enacted successful elephant protection programs protested. In Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, the elephant population had recovered to such a degree that the animals were in fact becoming a nuisance in certain areas, forcing the authorities to kill some of them. Since the ivory left over from this process was simply going to waste, CITES modified its ban in 1997 on a very limited basis to permit those three nations to sell ivory to Japan. Some critics claimed that this modification would encourage elephant poaching in other parts of Africa, since illegal hunters could try to use one of those three nations as a conduit for ivory exports.