Interview: CITES head applauds China's crackdown on illegally traded ivory

Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretary-General John Scanlon told Xinhua on Friday that China's crackdown on illegal ivory trading has sent an unequivocal message both domestically and internationally that the Chinese government does not and will not tolerate this illegal trade.

Beijing destroyed 660 kg of confiscated elephant ivory on Friday, the third public destruction since January 2014, and follows similar initiatives in Dongguan (6,2 tonnes crushed) and Hong-Kong (28 tonnes incinerated).

8 individuals were also condemned to long custodial sentences earlier this week for their involvement in forbidden ivory-trading activities.

In light of these events, Scanlon "highlighted the excellent efforts being taken within China to identify those who are illegally trading, to prosecute them and to send them to jail."

According to the CITES head, public events are necessary to show how the illegal ivory trade is wiping out African elephants, impacting local communities while fuelling transnational organized crime.

"This sends a very powerful message right across China and across the world that the Chinese government does not and will not tolerate this illegal trade," said Scanlon.

According to estimates, around 100,000 elephants have been killed for their ivory in just three years.

Scanlon also mentioned that people are often oblivious to the country-level repercussions engendered by the illegal ivory trade, making these destructions all the more crucial as they raise awareness for the general public.

"When you buy illegal ivory, the true cost isn't what you paid for it, the true cost is the cost to wildlife, local people and economies back in source states," Scanlon said.

Chinese law carries a maximum life sentence for individuals who participate in illegal wildlife trading.

According to Scanlon, no one action is going to result in a reduction of these illegal activities, as he believes that a multiplicity and repetition of measures is needed.

He also stated that combined with the increasing number of seizures resulting in prosecutions and convictions, these public destructions play an important role in abating illegal ivory trade.

"China has also been reaching out to source countries in Africa, and led operation Cobra 2, which worked across 28 countries in Africa, Asia and North America," Scanlon said.

He furthermore mentioned that China acknowledges the need to work together throughout the supply chain, which means cooperating at source, transit and destination countries.

Despite these positive trends, Scanlon still believed that more needs to be done across the world as the number of elephants being killed remains too high.

"Please be sure that you are not buying illegally traded ivory," he asked, adding that if you are doing so, you are actively contributing to the extinction of elephants. Endit