Elephants

EIA has been at the forefront of the global battle to stop the blood ivory trade for over 30 years. In 1989, EIA’s groundbreaking exposé revealed rampant elephant poaching and a booming global ivory trade, perpetrated by a network of criminals and corrupt officials in Africa and in importing nations. Our work provided key evidence that prompted the global community in 1989 to implement a ban on international commercial trade in elephant ivory. Following the implementation of the ban, elephant populations in Africa began to recover from serious decline. 

However, nations’ domestic ivory markets remained open and thriving. In 1999 and 2008, the 1989 ivory ban was seriously weakened by two legal international sales of ivory, one to Japan and a second to Japan and China. These market-stimulating sales, coupled with the changing economic and political situation in Asia, including the growth of China’s middle class, led us to the crisis that we face today.

Africa’s elephants are once again in the midst of a global poaching crisis with tens of thousands of elephants being slaughtered annually in a killing spree fueled by the global demand for ivory. EIA strives to eliminate illegal ivory trade and increase enforcement to protect elephants, both domestically and in range and consuming countries. EIA campaigns to enforce the international ivory ban and push for the closure of domestic ivory markets worldwide to protect elephants from the threat of ivory trade. Using every tool at our disposal, EIA is committed to ending the elephant poaching epidemic to protect elephants for generations to come.

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Letters

Letter: NGOs Urge Action from Tokyo on Ivory

On January 19, 2023, EIA and 17 other Japanese and international NGOs sent a letter to Tokyo’s Governor Koike, applauding her and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for action taken on the trade in elephant ivory thus far. The organizations also encouraged Tokyo to continue to heed the recommendations from the designated Advisory Council, including by enacting an ordinance […]

Press Release

Japan Prime Minister Urged to Commit to Japan’s Ivory Market Closure

Washington, DC and Tokyo, Japan – Before the 19th meeting of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Nov 14-25, non-government organizations are appealing to Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for Japan’s commitment to closing its ivory market to protect elephants from the threat of […]

Report

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Tackling transnational wildlife trafficking between West and Central Africa and South-East Asia

West and Central Africa continues to raise concerns among Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as a significant hub for global wildlife trafficking. This briefing highlights the parallel responsibilities and shortcomings of both West and Central Africa and South-East Asia in implementing their commitments under […]

Letters

Letter: NGOs Appeal to Japan’s Prime Minister for Ivory Market Closure

EIA and nine other organizations appealed to Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida to commit to the closure of Japan’s domestic ivory market to send a signal to the global community that Japan is ready to join other countries and take a significant step to protect Africa’s elephants from being killed for their ivory. This appeal comes ahead […]

Report

A Decade of National Ivory Action Plans – Where do we go from here? CoP19

It’s called the National Ivory Action Plan (NIAP) and was designed to improve elephants chances of survival from illegal killing. Parties to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) are identified for inclusion in the NIAP if they have worrying levels of poaching and/or illegal ivory trade and are required […]