BEIJING: China's entire ban on ivory business went into impact Sunday, officials said, a significant step forward in Beijing's efforts to rein in what used to be once the sector's greatest market for illegal ivory.
"From today... the buying and selling of elephant ivory and goods by any market, shop or vendor is against the law!" the forestry ministry said on its respectable account on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
"From now on, if a merchant tells you 'this is a state-approved ivory dealer'... he is duping you and knowingly violating the law."
The ministry added that the ban additionally applied to online gross sales and souvenirs bought in a foreign country.
According to the Xinhua state information company, a partial ban had already led to an 80 p.c decline in seizures of ivory entering China. Domestic prices for uncooked ivory are down 65 p.c, it said.
The general domestic ban used to be introduced on the end of last 12 months.
By this March, Xinhua reported, 67 factories and stores keen on China's ivory business had closed.
The ultimate 105 were anticipated to close Sunday.
China had prior to now banned imports of all ivory and ivory merchandise got prior to 1975, after pressure to limit a business that sees 1000's of elephants slaughtered once a year.
African ivory is extremely wanted in China, the place it is seen as a status image, and used to fetch up to $1,100 a kilogramme.
Poaching in Africa has seen the elephant inhabitants fall by way of 110,000 during the last 10 years to just 415,000, in keeping with the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Despite an overall fall in poaching, Africa's elephant inhabitants has declined in part as a result of endured illegal killing, said a document this 12 months by way of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
"From today... the buying and selling of elephant ivory and goods by any market, shop or vendor is against the law!" the forestry ministry said on its respectable account on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
"From now on, if a merchant tells you 'this is a state-approved ivory dealer'... he is duping you and knowingly violating the law."
The ministry added that the ban additionally applied to online gross sales and souvenirs bought in a foreign country.
According to the Xinhua state information company, a partial ban had already led to an 80 p.c decline in seizures of ivory entering China. Domestic prices for uncooked ivory are down 65 p.c, it said.
The general domestic ban used to be introduced on the end of last 12 months.
By this March, Xinhua reported, 67 factories and stores keen on China's ivory business had closed.
The ultimate 105 were anticipated to close Sunday.
China had prior to now banned imports of all ivory and ivory merchandise got prior to 1975, after pressure to limit a business that sees 1000's of elephants slaughtered once a year.
African ivory is extremely wanted in China, the place it is seen as a status image, and used to fetch up to $1,100 a kilogramme.
Poaching in Africa has seen the elephant inhabitants fall by way of 110,000 during the last 10 years to just 415,000, in keeping with the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Despite an overall fall in poaching, Africa's elephant inhabitants has declined in part as a result of endured illegal killing, said a document this 12 months by way of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Chinese ban on ivory sales goes into effect
![Chinese ban on ivory sales goes into effect]()
Reviewed by Kailash
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December 31, 2017
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