The need for pearl in China has been one of the primary number one wood of the catastrophic decline in elephant across much of Africa . Few surface area of the continent have evaded the outpouring , as poachers point the animals for their ivory . But it looks like thing might be about to change .
A newfangled reportby the conservation groupSave the Elephantshas found that the sweeping price of elephant tusk has crashed by almost two - one-third in the last three long time . While in other 2014 the average cost for in the raw bone was around $ 2,100 per kilo , by late 2015 this had slipped to $ 1,100 per kilogram . Now , the latest data from early 2017 has find that this image has fallen even scummy , with a kilo now costing $ 730 .
There region phone number of different factorsthought to be behind the slack in the grocery store for ivory across China . For starters , the Chinese economy has faltered recently , with the slow down meaning fewer people are now able to open sumptuousness good , such as ivory intersection . This has come at the same time that the government has curtailed corruptness , mean man of affairs have steered aside from using expensive tusk gift as stack hook .
At the end of last yr , the politics also announced that it was to shut down the domestic ivory market . The factories in which raw ivory is chip at into products are set to close their doors in two days ’ time , while the 130 licensed retail outlet are due to close by the end of the yr . Finally , in the backcloth to all of this , public cognisance political campaign are finally seeming to bring in some adhesive friction , with people starting to interpret the shock that bribe tusk has on Africa ’s elephants .
“ This is a vital period of time for elephant , ” says Iain Douglas - Hamilton , chairman and founder of Save the Elephants , in astatement . “ With the end of the legal tusk patronage in China , the survival adventure for elephants have distinctly improve . We must give credit entry to China for having done the right affair by come together the ivory trade . There is still a longsighted way to go to stop the extravagant killing of elephant for ivory , but there is now greater promise for the species . ”
As the price has dipped over the last few eld , retail merchant have in turning slashed prices to seek and advance trade wind . They have also step by step removed bone items from display windows in shops . Rather than go underground though , it seems that the taste for ivoryis slipping , as even the price of mammoth ivory , which is still effectual , has also been crashing .
Perhaps there is a intimation of hope for the majestic elephants , after all .
