The lessons of the last elephant killing spree in the 1970s and 80s taught us that pressure on elephants will only abate when demand for ivory is curbed. Education and awareness campaigns on the killings to feed the ivory markets repulsed the primary consumers of that era (primarily western and Japanese), breaking the back of the last episode of killing. Conservationists are fighting to replicate this globally again. Excellent work is being conducted to inundate the primary consumers with messaging regarding what buying figurines, chop sticks and works of art does to wild elephants. The groups need to be supported and helped to succeed. Numbers matter. They can elicit action and measure success. Now we have them on the scale of illegal killing. We can identify the populations most at threat. We know the primary ivory consuming nations, and even their relative importance. We know what to do and where to do it. It is time for global leaders to act on this information. Global support for range nations in Africa, particularly those that have shown initiative and are demonstrating success, must be enhanced. Where they arent, the non-governmental partners should be supported. Most importantly, the primary consuming nations must take responsibility for the devastation their consumption is causing. They must act to undermine demand, publicize the impact of ivory consumption on wild elephants in Africa, and close their domestic markets in which illegal ivory is being sold as legal ivory. The latter is critical, as end market illegal ivory laundering is the linchpin in this chain. Sanctions eliminating commerce in endangered species should be enacted on those that do not. We know what to do, it is time to do it. Elephants dont have the time to wait. poaching_b_5883424.html?utm_hp_ref=science&ir=Science
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 07:16:10 +0000
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