Letters | If the UK and Japan can do it, Hong Kong has no excuse not to ramp up checks on illegal ivory
- Hong Kong should treat Japan’s recently passed law requiring proof that ivory was legally obtained as an example to follow
Countries around the world continue to take steps towards banning the trade in ivory. However, while governments promote how green they are, many seem reluctant to take strong steps to protect wildlife and some in southern Africa seem to be going backwards. The UK enacted one of the world’s toughest laws last December banning the ivory trade, and while the bureaucrats in Brussels donate millions each year to protect African wildlife, they can’t manage to enact a ban in the trade of ivory within Europe.
In Asia, very positive news came out of Japan on March 22, in that the country will significantly tighten controls on its ivory market effective July 1. This will require dealers to prove, via carbon dating, that specimens were legally obtained. Individuals who wish to trade ivory in Japan will now have to report how it was acquired, while providing third-party testimony on its provenance. Carbon dating to show the age of the ivory will become an absolute prerequisite from July 1, making ivory obtained from recent poaching impossible to register and sell, according to the government.
Colin Dawson, founder, The Elephant Society; director, The Elephant Foundation
