March 18, 2018

The next target in the struggle to stamp out ivory trade and its debilitating effect on elephant populations across Africa is the European Union (EU).

A petition signed by 32 African leaders has called on the EU—the world’s largest exporter of legal ivory—to close its thriving market. Advocacy groups suggest that while ivory trade is legal within the EU, it could also be fueling poaching. “Europe has become both a destination and transit hub for illegal ivory,” says Bert Wander, campaign director of Avaaz, a global advocacy group.

In the past year, the push to curtail ivory trade has recorded some success, especially in Asia where demand has been historically high. China, the world’s largest importer of ivory, finally banned the trade in Dec. 2017 and, the following month, Hong Kong did same.

Read more:

https://qz.com/1231631/ivory-trade-africa-leaders-want-eu-to-be-like-china-and-end-trade/