The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Botswana government helped key countries along the chain of elephant poaching reach an agreement to protect the animal and end, or at least abate, the sale of ivory, The Associated Press reported.
Poaching elephants for their tusks is most common in Africa, but the transport and sale of ivory extends to east Asia, which is why the IUCN and Botswana gathered countries across the "elephant range," including tusk harvest states Gabon, Kenya, Niger and Zambia, tusk transport states Vietnam, Philippines, and Malaysia, and tusk consumer states China and Thailand, according to the AP.
"Our window of opportunity to tackle the growing illegal ivory trade is closing and if we do not stem the tide, future generations will condemn our unwillingness to act," Botswana President Ian Khama said at the African Elephant Summit in Gaborone on Wednesday.
Approximately 25,000 African elephants were killed illegally in 2011, the highest total since 1998. That rate hasn't slowed in the two years since; more illegal ivory has been seized this year (over 40 tons) than any year since 1985, according to the AP. During its presentation at the summit, the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITIES) estimated that 20 percent of the Africa's elephants would be slain in the next 10 years.
Over the course of several days, the summit agreed on 14 measures to curtail elephant poaching. New policies include increasing the penalties associated with poaching, working closely with local communities living near elephants, strengthening government conservation regulations, and developing greater financial and technical resources, according to the AP.
"We are very pleased with the result of the summit, especially as it involves some of the most important countries along the illegal ivory value chain," said IUCN Director General Julia Marton-Lefevre. "We hope that these outcomes will go beyond the summit's focus on African elephants and boost broader efforts to combat illegal wildlife trade in other species which have been threatened by it, such as rhinos and pangolins."
Earlier in November, conservation groups in Colorado destroyed a stockpile of ivory in a symbolic stance against elephant poaching. Secretary of State John Kerry also announced a $1 million bounty for information leading to the seizure of illegally traded ivory. He specifically mentioned a wildlife trafficking group from Laos, whose influence extends into South Africa, Mozambique, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and China, according to CNN.
Wildlife trafficking finances other illegal businesses, such as drug trafficking and human trafficking, according to CNN. The United States is the second biggest consumer of ivory in the world, behind China.
