<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/23/imports-of-ivory-from-hippos-orcas-and-walruses-to-be-banned-in-uk>
"Ivory imports from hippopotamuses, orcas and walruses will be banned under new
legislation to protect the endangered species from poaching.
The Ivory Act, passed in 2018, targeted materials from elephants, but a
loophole meant that animals other than elephants, including hippos, were being
targeted for their ivory.
After a consultation, ministers have decided to tighten the ban to include all
ivory-bearing species, so these will not be poached to fill the gap in the
trade left by the elephant ivory ban.
Ministers said the hippopotamus was the species most at risk from the trade in
its ivory after elephants, and the other species were already threatened by the
climate crisis. They added that continued trade in their ivory could exacerbate
these threats and make their long-term survival less likely.
The elephant ivory ban faced immense challenges, with antique traders taking
the government to court in an ultimately unsuccessful battle to squash the
legislation.
Trudy Harrison, biodiversity minister at the Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (Defra), said: “This is a pivotal moment in delivering one of
our key manifesto commitments on international conservation.
“The Ivory Act is one of the toughest bans of its kind in the world and by
extending greater legal protections to five more species, we are sending a
clear message the commercial trade of ivory is totally unacceptable.
“The UK has long led the way in conservation and our ban shows continued global
leadership in doing all we can to protect the world’s most endangered species.”
Ivory is used for ornaments, musical instruments and jewellery, among other
items, and animals are poached across the globe for profit in what can be a
lucrative market."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-homicide-education-sierra-leone-solar-china/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
