|
About | Contact | Mongabay on Facebook | Mongabay on Twitter | Subscribe |
|
|
Ebay bans the sale of elephant ivory mongabay.com October 21, 2008 The move — which goes into effect December and will be enforced starting January 1, 2009 — comes after a campaign by environmental groups, which last year led the company to prohibit international sale of ivory products. Exceptions to the ban include products made before 1900 that contain small amounts of ivory. eBay posted the following on its official blog: "eBay recognizes the distinct responsibilities that come along with the unique attributes of our global marketplace. That’s why, in keeping with the principles established under CITES, eBay banned cross-border sales of ivory in 2007. This ban tried to balance the protection of endangered and protected species while also providing a way for sellers to offer legitimate ivory products legally allowed for sale within domestic markets. However, given the complexities of the global ivory trade, and the distinct and unique characteristics of the eBay Marketplace, the sale of any ivory on our site continued to be a concern within the company and among stakeholders."
The company said it works with international and domestic law enforcement authorities to help with investigations into the sale of illegal ivory. A series of studies have revealed that elephant poaching for ivory is again on the rise following a decline after the 1979 ivory trade ban. Fueling the resurgence is demand from China, although investigations have revealed the U.S. to be the second largest market for elephant ivory. Pachyderm populations are falling in many countries where law enforcement is weak or non-existent, especially Central Africa and Zimbabwe. Criminal gangs are said to be controlling the trade.
Tags: elephants happy-upbeat environmental activism environmental activism Zimbabwe poaching hunting wildlife trafficking environment biodiversity mammals africa asia animals wildlife green News index | RSS | News Feed | Twitter | Home Advertisements: Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing
|
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 
Photos HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS / PRINTS 
CALENDARS 
CANVAS BAGS 
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Copyright mongabay 2010 Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated from mongabay.com operations (server, data transfer, travel) are mitigated through an association with Anthrotect, an organization working with Afro-indigenous and Embera communities to protect forests in Colombia's Darien region. Anthrotect is protecting the habitat of mongabay's mascot: the scale-crested pygmy tyrant. |
