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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 11:32 am
Time: 11:32 am
Results for illegal ivory
8 results foundAuthor: Kooten, G. Cornelis van Title: Elephant Economics in the Rough: Modelling Ivory Trade Summary: Trade in ivory is banned under CITES in an effort to protect the African elephant. The trade ban is supported by some range states, most notably Kenya, because they see the ban as an effective means for protecting a ‘flagship’ species, one that attracts tourists and foreign aid. It is opposed by some states, mainly in southern Africa, because their elephant populations are exceeding the capacity of local ecosystems with culling and other sources have resulted in the accumulation of large stocks of ivory. They argue that ivory trade will benefit elephant populations. The question of whether an ivory trade ban will protect elephant populations is addressed in this paper using a dynamic partial-equilibrium model that consists of four ivory exporting regions and a single demand region. Results indicate that a trade ban can be successful in maintaining elephant populations if the ban leads to a stigma effect that reduces demand and increases the marginal costs of marketing ivory. Surprisingly, elephant populations are projected to crash if range states can operate an effective quota scheme that even excludes poaching. However, free trade in ivory can be made to protect the elephant if western countries make effective side payments to range states based on in situ numbers of elephants. Details: Department of Economics Victoria, BC, Canada: University of Victoria, Canada, 2005. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Draft: Accessed August 7, 2012 at: http://web.uvic.ca/econ/research/seminars/Kooten.pdf Year: 2005 Country: United States URL: http://web.uvic.ca/econ/research/seminars/Kooten.pdf Shelf Number: 125900 Keywords: Animal PoachingEconomics of CrimeElephantsIllegal IvoryIllegal TradeWildlife Crime |
Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environmental Audit Committee Title: Wildlife Crime. Third Report of Session 2012-13. Summary: Wildlife protection laws in the UK are fractured and are being inconsistently applied in the courts, according to a report by Parliament's cross-party environmental watchdog. Wildlife legislation has become so complex that prosecutions fail and even specialist enforcement professionals struggle to implement it effectively. Hundreds of birds of prey have been deliberately poisoned with substances such as carbofuran that have no legal use. The Government could easily make possession an offence under legislation that has been on the statute book since 2006. The lack of sentencing guidelines on wildlife offences means that some offenders are being neither punished nor deterred in the courts. The CPS is failing to train its prosecutors to handle complex wildlife cases. The inflexible implementation in UK law of international agreements covering the trafficking of endangered species squanders limited resources. For example, a vet might have to be present when samples are taken from imported endangered species, which includes not only living animals but mahogany furniture. Internationally, the report examines how the rhino, tiger and elephant are being driven to extinction by growing demand for illegal wildlife products in south-east Asia and China. It calls on the Government to exert robust diplomatic pressure in favour of the development and enforcement of wildlife law at the next CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) meeting in March 2013. In particular, the Government should focus attention on the damaging effect of ‘one-off’ sales of impounded ivory, which has been found to actually fuel demand for ivory products, and seek an unequivocal international ban on all forms of ivory trade. Details: London: The Stationery Office Limited, 2012. 2 volumes Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 9, 2012 at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmenvaud/140/140.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmenvaud/140/140.pdf Shelf Number: 126897 Keywords: Animal PoachingEndangered SpeciesIllegal IvoryTrafficking in AnimalsWildlife Crime (U.K.) |
Author: Patel, Tricia Title: War Against Poaching in Africa: Learning from our mistakes Summary: The African elephant and rhino have long struggled to maintain their populations, which saw a devastating decline during the 1980s. With commercial poaching running rampant, the eye of the international community fell upon the lack of conservation policies implemented in African nations. Elephants and rhinos became icons of the conservation movement and more significantly, the keystones of Africa’s wildlife safari industry. As a result of declining populations, trade in both animals was regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). Despite the value they have to conservationists in the West, the reality is very different for those living next door to these animal populations. Southern African countries have fought hard against a total ban on trade in ivory, for it has the potential to generate much-needed revenue and fund conservation programs. Opponents fear resurgence in commercial poaching for ivory and vehemently resist any relaxation of the ivory ban and their concerns are well founded. Where elephant populations have stabilized, the black rhino has not been so lucky. As a result, non-governmental organizations have tried to implement conservation programs to combat tourism. However, a distinction is rarely made between subsistence poachers who hunt for food and commercial poachers who hunt for economic gain. Additionally, local communities are often misunderstood and portrayed as the enemies of wildlife, but commercial poachers pose a greater threat to wildlife. With the elephant and rhino populations continually being devastated by poaching, some governments have taken extreme anti-poaching measures, even if they come at the cost of fundamental human rights. This paper serves to analyze the differences between subsistence and commercial poaching in the context of African elephant and rhino populations, as well as evaluate previous conservation methods taken with respect to both forms of poaching. First, a history of CITES is provided, along with the relevant regulations that have governed and continue to govern both, the elephant and rhino. Then a comparison of subsistence poaching (including trade in bushmeat), and commercial poaching is discussed, as well as the motivating factors behind both. Additionally, previous conservation methods and anti-poaching strategies are evaluated against recent proposals and subsequent legal repercussions are suggested. It is important to understand the lack of international consensus regarding the elephant and rhino and CITES regulations so that the diverging interests may be better understood. Furthermore, it is necessary to understand the extreme measures that have previously been taken by governments and conservation organizations, so that the same mistakes are not made again. Details: Unpublished Paper, 2010. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 28, 2012 at: http://www.elizabethburleson.com/Poaching%20in%20Africa%20by%20Tricia%20Patel.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Africa URL: http://www.elizabethburleson.com/Poaching%20in%20Africa%20by%20Tricia%20Patel.pdf Shelf Number: 127017 Keywords: Animal Poaching (Africa)BushmeatElephantsIllegal IvoryRhinosWildlife ConservationWildlife Crime |
Author: Milliken, T. Title: The Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) and the Illicit Trade in Ivory: A report to the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES Summary: Resolution Conf. 10.10 (Rev. CoP15) mandates “a comprehensive report to each meeting of the Conference of the Parties” on the data held in the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), one of the two monitoring systems for elephants under CITES. The objectives of ETIS, which has been managed and operated by TRAFFIC since 1997, are: i) measuring and recording levels and trends, and changes in levels and trends, of illegal hunting and trade in ivory in elephant range States, and in trade entrepôts; ii) assessing whether and to what extent observed trends are related to changes in the listing of elephant populations in the CITES appendices and/or the resumption of legal international trade in ivory; iii) establishing an information base to support the making of decisions on appropriate management, protection and enforcement needs; and iv) building capacity in range States. Covering the period 1996 through 2011, this report is the fifth major assessment of the ETIS data for presentation to the CITES Parties, and constitutes TRAFFIC’s reporting obligations for CoP16. This analysis was done in collaboration with the United Kingdom’s University of Reading, where Mr. Robert Burn and Dr. Fiona Underwood refined the analytical methods under a Darwin Initiative project and carried out the data analysis for this report. The interpretation of results, conclusions and recommendations draws particularly on research by and experience of TRAFFIC. Prior to submission to the CITES Secretariat, it was reviewed by members of the ETIS Technical Advisory Group. Further, technical papers on the methods and results of this analysis are being submitted to peer-review journals for publication in the scientific literature. TRAFFIC would like to acknowledge with gratitude the funding support from the United Kingdom’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Darwin Initiative programme, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s African Elephant Conservation Fund, the European Union’s MIKE phase two grant to the CITES Secretariat, and WWF for providing support for the operation and management of ETIS since CoP15, including the production of this report. Details: London: TRAFFIC International, 2012. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: CoP 16 Doc.xx.x: Accessed January 24, 2013 at: http://cites.org/eng/cop/16/doc/E-CoP16-53-02-02.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://cites.org/eng/cop/16/doc/E-CoP16-53-02-02.pdf Shelf Number: 127385 Keywords: Animal PoachingElephantsIllegal HuntingIllegal IvoryWildlife Crime |
Author: Krishnasamy, Kanitha Title: Malaysia's Invisible Ivory Channel: An assessment of ivory seizures involving Malaysia from January 2003 - May 2014 Summary: Malaysia does not have an open domestic ivory market, unlike at least seven other Southeast Asian countries. However, its position in the global illicit ivory trade has become more prominent since 2009 when its role as a principal transit gateway for ivory en route to consumer markets in other Southeast and East Asian countries emerged. This occurrence has made Malaysia the world's paramount illicit ivory transit country, according to data in the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), which tracks ivory seizures globally since 1989. The ETIS report to the 62nd CITES Standing Committee meeting in July 2012 identified Malaysia as one of eight countries most heavily implicated in the illegal ivory trade chain. Malaysia was the only country that served as purely a transit country among this group of African source and Asian end-use nations. To better understand this trade dynamic, TRAFFIC assessed information from ivory seizures from a period of over 11 years (nearly 11 and a half years), from January 2003 to May 2014 - all seizures were either made by Malaysian authorities, or made outside the country, but with Malaysia identified as part of the trade chain. Findings highlight that a total of 66 ivory seizures have been connected to Malaysia, cumulatively recording 63 419 kg of ivory over this period. Although only 26 of all seizures were large-scale seizures (>500 kg), these alone logged in a total weight of 60 404 kg, accounting for 95% of the total volume seized. This report discusses some insights from the seizures over this period, as well as highlighting needs and opportunities in order for Malaysia to remove itself from its current position as a country of international concern for illicit trade in ivory under CITES. For its part, Malaysia has made a total of 19 seizures from January 2003-February 2013 totalling close to 15 tonnes of ivory. Five of these, representing 94% of total volume seized in the country, were large-scale seizures, one of which represents the third largest seizure in ETIS. The large-scale seizures in Malaysia occurred in all three of the nation's leading seaports: Ports of Klang, Pasir Gudang and Penang. However, based on seizures made outside Malaysia during the assessed period, Malaysia has been implicated in at least 47 other seizures, involving more than 48 tonnes of ivory that had already passed through a Malaysian port undetected or was destined for the country. A vast majority of these were raw ivory, with only a small proportion being worked ivory that had already passed through a Malaysian port undetected or was destined for the country. This occurrence is the primary reason Malaysia has been identified as a key transit country in the global ivory trade. These seizures involve the import, export and re-export of ivory (and other prohibited wildlife parts) from at least 23 known countries and territories around the world, at various points of the trade route. Almost 75% (n=35) of these 47 seizures were made by other countries after the shipment passed a Malaysian port unstopped, amounting to 33 889 kg of ivory. Seventeen of the 47 seizures originated from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda - the three major exit points for the world's illegal elephant ivory trade. These three countries alone exported 66% (31 868 kg) of the total volume of ivory seized during this period involving Malaysia, with Kenya and Tanzania each moving more than 13 tonnes of ivory. Tanzania's role in moving large quantities of ivory through Malaysia has been documented since at least 2003, while the other two became more prominent since 2010. From all the seizures involving Malaysia as a transit or destination country, 16 437 kg of ivory from 13 seizures occurred in 2013 alone-the highest annual record over the 12-year period. Seven of these 13 seizures took place in the month of October, amounting to more than 8000 kg of ivory. At least 23 rhino horns were also trafficked along with the ivory between August 2010 and December 2013, with 15 horns seized in a single shipment from Uganda. In two of these shipments involving 20 rhino horns from Kenya and Uganda, Malaysia was listed as the country of destination. Outside this study period, between April 2015 and August 2015, four other seizures by Australia, Kenya, Thailand and Viet Nam have been reported. These involved more than 5 tonnes of ivory that had either passed through Malaysia or listed Malaysia as the country of destination. Such occurrences serve to reinforce that Malaysian ports continue to be used to move large quantities of ivory, and more concerning, appears to becoming more frequent at a time when the poaching of African Elephants is at its most critical level. Not a single arrest or prosecution occurred with respect to any Malaysian ivory seizure during the assessed period. However two prosecutions occurred in 2015, outside the assessed period. Malaysia's geographical proximity to the world's major ivory consumers-China and Thailand - and its efficient and well-developed port infrastructure, which ranks amongst the world's most elite ports, are important factors behind the country being used to smuggle ivory repeatedly. Although the sheer quantity, volume and speed of cargo moving through Malaysia's major seaports involving tens of millions of containers each year makes the detection of illicit ivory shipments extremely challenging, it is not an insurmountable task. Collaborative action, including risk profiling and targeting, as well as timely communication between source and consumer countries have already resulted in a number of successful seizures globally, and indeed forms part of Malaysia's National Ivory Action Plan that was submitted to CITES pursuant to the recommendations of the CITES Standing Committee. Such measures must continue, conducted in tandem with other essential actions, without which Malaysia will continue to be a prominent player in the illegal ivory trade. Details: Selangor, Malaysia: TRAFFIC, Southeast Asia Regional Office, 2016. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 20, 2016 at: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/157301/27231847/1473276463457/Malaysia-ivory-analysis.pdf?token=qaFgzHXTokA8FTKZWmPcJE3QWpI%3D Year: 2016 Country: Malaysia URL: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/157301/27231847/1473276463457/Malaysia-ivory-analysis.pdf?token=qaFgzHXTokA8FTKZWmPcJE3QWpI%3D Shelf Number: 145620 Keywords: ElephantsIllegal IvoryIllegal TradeIllicit IvoryIvoryWildlife Crime |
Author: Vigne, Lucy Title: Vietnam's Illegal Ivory Trade Threatens Africa's Elephants Summary: - The Vietnamese illegal ivory trade is now one of the largest in the world. - Of all the ivory industries in Asia, Vietnamese carvers have multiplied in number and increased their production of illegal ivory items the most rapidly since 2008. - Tusks are smuggled into Vietnam, nearly all from Africa, with only a few nowadays from domesticated and wild elephants in Laos and Vietnam. - In early 2015 the largest proportion of tusks was seized officially in Haiphong; this changed to Danang in the latter half of 2015. - Wholesale prices for raw tusks in Vietnam were about the same in 2015 as in mainland China, around USD 1,100/kg for a 1-3-kg tusk. - Historically ivory carving was an insignificant art form in Vietnam. - While Vietnamese ivory carvers have increased greatly in number, we did not hear of any foreigners working ivory in Vietnam. - Ivory artisans earn on average USD 260 a month, considerably less than in mainland China. - We talked to ivory carvers in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), in Buon Ma Thuot and in three northern villages who were optimistic about their business. - Legislation prohibiting the ivory trade in Vietnam remains unclear. A loophole in the law allows worked ivory crafted before 1992 to be legally sold in Vietnam, although with the current weak law enforcement, nobody mentioned this to us, nor did hardly any vendor mention to us that exports were illegal. - We saw no posters or other public notices in Vietnam publicizing that the trade in ivory is illegal. - In HCMC, Hanoi, one town and village in the Central Highlands, and two villages in the north we counted 242 open outlets with 16,099 ivory items on display, for retail sale. - Of these items, 9,893 (or 61%) were in one northern village that had not been counted before in a survey. - Nearly all the ivory items for sale in Vietnam are new or recently carved and illegal. - Vietnam has one of the largest number of newly worked illegal ivory items openly offered for retail sale in the world. - Most objects are pendants and other small items, usually jewellery. - There were few ivory antiques, the majority being in HCMC, popular with Chinese customers. - Hardly any expensive ivory items for retail sale were seen. The most expensive new item was a 17-cm human figure for USD 2,500 in HCMC. The most expensive old items were a carved tusk and a large urn for USD 20,000 each in an antique shop in HCMC. - The cheapest ivory item was USD 2 for a thin ring in one northern Vietnam village. - Retail ivory prices for common comparable items were three times more in Beijing and Shanghai than in HCMC and Hanoi and seven times more than in a village selling the most worked ivory seen in Vietnam. This is due to cheaper labour in Vietnam, fewer overheads, and nearly all illegal items for sale that require no expensive paperwork. - There appears to be little law enforcement within Vietnam against the illegal ivory workshops and retail shops, especially in the smaller locations that few Western foreigners visit. - Nearly all the customers we saw shopping for ivory were from mainland China; they particularly like to visit Vietnam's northern villages to buy ivory items, both wholesale and retail, as the prices are considerably lower than elsewhere in the country. - The chances of Chinese being arrested for carrying illegal ivory items crossing the border from Vietnam into China are extremely small due to ineffective law enforcement. - A growing online illegal ivory trade is expanding among Vietnamese and mainland Chinese. - Other elephant products are sold wholesale and retail in Vietnam, especially in the western region nearer to Cambodia and Laos. Products include bones, feet, hairs, meat, molars, skin and tails. - We saw no raw mammoth ivory and only one item for sale: a pendant. - In 2008 a detailed survey of Vietnam counted 2,444 ivory items on view for sale. In 2015 our survey found this number had risen by 6.6 times. A main reason was the expansion of ivory carving and sales in one particular village in the north to meet demand from mainland Chinese, and an increase in ivory items for sale in the Central Highlands area of Buon Ma Thuot to meet demand for the growing number of Asian tourists going there. - While the illegal rhino horn trade in Vietnam has been heavily criticized, its recently booming ivory trade has been largely overlooked due to a lack of information about it. - Corruption and mismanagement in Vietnam have abetted this expanding and flourishing illegal ivory trade, allowing retail displays to remain wide open and enabling smuggling of the many Vietnamese-carved illegal new ivory items into mainland China. Details: Nairobi, Kenya: Save the Elephants, 2016. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 22, 2016 at: http://savetheelephants.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2016_VietnamReportFINAL_0.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Vietnam URL: http://savetheelephants.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2016_VietnamReportFINAL_0.pdf Shelf Number: 145603 Keywords: ElephantsIllegal IvoryIllegal TradeIvoryRhinosWildlife Crime |
Author: Crosta, Andrea Title: The White Gold of Jihad: Al-Shabaab and the Illegal Ivory Trade Summary: Coordinated bomb attacks in Kampala, Uganda, on 11th July 2010, claimed the lives of 76 people as they watched the World Cup final and catapulted the terrorist group responsible, Somalia's al-Shabaab, onto the world stage. The threat presented by this militant Islamist group with close links to al-Qaeda dominated recent African Union talks in Uganda and has prompted moves to strengthen the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia. But while attention is focused on sending more troops into the war-torn country, little attention is being paid to the ways in which al-Shabaab - a hard line, well-organized and compartmentalized organization - is financing its activities. Over the last 18 months, we've been investigating the involvement of al-Shabaab in trafficking ivory through Kenya, a trade that could be supplying up to 40% of the funds needed to pay salaries to its fighters. Kenya is no stranger to the threat posed by Somalia to its herds of elephants and rhinos, whose numbers are still recovering from the poaching onslaught suffered in the 1970s and ‘80s. Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is constantly on the alert for incursions of Somali gangs – or bandits as locals call them – into the country's north eastern territory to poach elephants and rhinos. In 2007, 3 rangers died at the hands of Somali bandits as they crossed the Tana River on their way to Tsavo National Park. The incursion was halted but the cost in human life was high. All too often, however, the bandits slip across the border undetected, in their quest for the white trophy that is ivory. One can try to recount the poacher’s steps as they make their way to Meru National Park, east of Mount Kenya. In the early hours of the morning, a small group of elephants led by their matriarch approach a waterhole, unaware that three bandits are hiding just a few meters away, their AK-47 automatic rifles ready for action. With tusks worth nearly 3500 KSh or nearly US$50 per kilo, the elephants offer a lucrative prize to these trained ex-soldiers of Somali origin, desperate to make a living. The elephants begin to bathe in the mud of the waterhole. They have an acute sense of smell so the bandits know they have to act swiftly before the elephants can react to the threat of danger. The leader signals to the others as they fix their sights on the matriarch and a large male standing hunched together – the three calves won’t fetch enough money for them to bother with. A burst of automatic fire drops the two elephants instantly to the ground. The matriarch is fatally wounded but still alive as the bandits hack out her tusks, watched helplessly by the young calves. Shocked and traumatised, they will have little chance of surviving alone. The bandits load their prize and head out to safety. The leader takes out his cell phone and writes a quick message, ‘brother we have some goods to deliver, around 40 kilos, contact our cousins and lets make the deal’. In a Nairobi restaurant, a cell phone jerks into life and a young well-dressed Somali checks the screen. He reads the message carefully and takes out a notepad. The notepad reveals a page full of numbers and quantities in kilos. He marks down the amounts and adds them all together in his head. Using a small Iridium Sat phone he dials a number with a Somali prefix. On the other end, a man sitting in an office in Kismayo, Somalia picks up the call – is office is heavily guarded by Shabaab militiamen – their signature black flag waving on a pole above their heads . He notes down the quantities and sets a date for the pick-up. Unfortunately, poaching incidents likes Meru and illegal trafficking in ivory are still rampant in Africa. With demand soaring and a market price in Asia of over US$1500 per kilo, for most poaching gangs it is a simple matter of money. Moreover, the desperate political and economic situation in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central African Republic (CAR), Somalia or Sudan perpetuates the poaching, which continues to be among the most lucrative criminal activities available. However, in common with other criminal activities involving exploitation of resources and environmental destruction, the poaching is backed and driven by foreign interests, in this case by the flourishing markets in Asia. Today, law enforcement agencies around the continent work together with INTERPOL and other international agencies, such as the Lusaka Agreement Task Force, to fight the illegal trade in wildlife and to implement rules agreed under CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. It is well known that criminal syndicates are involved in the trade, using sophisticated smuggling methods, bribing port personnel and customs officials, and using their own entrepreneurial activities as a cover for their smuggling operations. For the last twenty years, Kenya has led the war against trade in ivory and rhino horn. Established in 1989, the KWS has been in the forefront not only of actively protecting Kenya’s wildlife and national parks, but also in investigating and arresting felons, and in international negotiations under CITES to try to maintain a ban on international trade in the face of strong opposition. Surrounded by porous borders, Kenya has long been a transit point for illegal ivory. In an attempt to crack down on this trade, KWS recently stepped up pressure at the country's ports and airports where ivory is smuggled out. As a result, dealers looking for fast money and an easier market have turned to a new player in the game – Al Shabaab. Details: Los Angeles: Elephant Action League, 2016. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 6, 2017 at: https://elephantleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Report-Ivory-al-Shabaab-Oct2016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Africa URL: https://elephantleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Report-Ivory-al-Shabaab-Oct2016.pdf Shelf Number: 146409 Keywords: Animal PoachingElephantsIllegal IvoryIllegal TradeIvory TradeTerrorist FinancingTrafficking in WildlifeWildlife Crime |
Author: Underwood, F.M. Title: Dissecting the Illegal Ivory Trade: An Analysis of Ivory Seizures Data Summary: Reliable evidence of trends in the illegal ivory trade is important for informing decision making for elephants but it is difficult to obtain due to the covert nature of the trade. The Elephant Trade Information System, a global database of reported seizures of illegal ivory, holds the only extensive information on illicit trade available. However inherent biases in seizure data make it difficult to infer trends; countries differ in their ability to make and report seizures and these differences cannot be directly measured. We developed a new modelling framework to provide quantitative evidence on trends in the illegal ivory trade from seizures data. The framework used Bayesian hierarchical latent variable models to reduce bias in seizures data by identifying proxy variables that describe the variability in seizure and reporting rates between countries and over time. Models produced bias-adjusted smoothed estimates of relative trends in illegal ivory activity for raw and worked ivory in three weight classes. Activity is represented by two indicators describing the number of illegal ivory transactions - Transactions Index - and the total weight of illegal ivory transactions - Weights Index - at global, regional or national levels. Globally, activity was found to be rapidly increasing and at its highest level for 16 years, more than doubling from 2007 to 2011 and tripling from 1998 to 2011. Over 70% of the Transactions Index is from shipments of worked ivory weighing less than 10 kg and the rapid increase since 2007 is mainly due to increased consumption in China. Over 70% of the Weights Index is from shipments of raw ivory weighing at least 100 kg mainly moving from Central and East Africa to Southeast and East Asia. The results tie together recent findings on trends in poaching rates, declining populations and consumption and provide detailed evidence to inform international decision making on elephants. Details: S.L., 2013. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 21, 2019 at: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0076539 Year: 2013 Country: International URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0076539&type=printable Shelf Number: 155956 Keywords: Environmental CrimeIllegal IvoryIllicit TradeIvory TradePoachingSeizuresWildlife Crime |