Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Earth Science News .




FLORA AND FAUNA
Hong Kong mulls following China to destroy ivory stockpile
by Staff Writers
Hong Kong (AFP) Jan 08, 2014


Hong Kong's government is considering destroying its stockpile of over 30 tonnes of ivory obtained through seizures of elephant tusks, it said Wednesday.

The Chinese government crushed a pile of ivory weighing more than six tonnes on Monday, its first public destruction of ivory, to discourage illegal trade.

"The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department is aware of the steps taken in other places to destroy forfeited ivory," the Hong Kong government department said in a statement sent to AFP Wednesday.

The department said it is "reviewing the effectiveness of the existing disposal measures" and drafting a proposal for the destruction of forfeited ivory.

Hong Kong has been a transit point for the ivory elephant tusk trade. The southern Chinese city has seen tusk seizures rise steadily since 2009, reaching a record amount of 8,041 kilogrammes seized in 2013.

Having seized 33.37 tonnes of tusks since 2003, mostly shipped from African nations by sea, some of the stockpile has been used for educating school children on the harmfulness of the trade. But conservation groups have lobbied for the stockpile to be completely destroyed.

"I think they're going to do it because China has done it, the US has done it, it's a trend now, that's the way it seems to be moving forward," Hong Kong for Elephants campaigner Alex Hofford told AFP.

"It will send a very strong signal to consumers in China that buying ivory is wrong," Hofford said, adding that mainland tourists in Hong Kong are the ones buoying up the ivory trade in the city.

Surging demand for ivory in Asia is behind an ever-mounting death toll of African elephants, conservationists have said.

Experts believe that most illegal ivory is headed to China -- where products made from the material have long been seen as status symbols.

Another endangered animals activist Sharon Kwok said that destroying the stockpile will signify to mainland consumers that buying ivory is no longer viable.

"They would be running scared and looking for something else to do," Kwok told AFP.

The US crushed six tonnes of ivory in November while the Philippines destroyed five tonnes of tusks in June, and Kenya set fire to a pile weighing the same amount in 2011.

Ivory trading was banned in 1989 under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), an international agreement between governments, but as poaching has continued the environmental group WWF estimates there could be as few as 470,000 African elephants left.

.


Related Links
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








FLORA AND FAUNA
Novel 'attract-and-kill' approach could help tackle Argentine ants
Riverside CA (SPX) Jan 07, 2014
After being inadvertently introduced in the United States from South America, Argentine ants have successfully invaded urban, agricultural, and natural settings nationwide. In urban California, the Argentine ant is among the primary pest ants. For example, this particular species of ants makes up 85 percent of ants sampled by commercial pest control companies in just the Greater San Diego Area. ... read more


FLORA AND FAUNA
Four arrested over Italy quake contract bribes

Philippine inflation jumps following Haiyan

'Cramped' houses row over Philippine typhoon survivors

System of phone alerts could warn of extreme weather in India

FLORA AND FAUNA
Sony unveils game service as PS4 sales top 4.2 million

S. Asia takes 71 percent of market for ship breaking

New compounds discovered that are hundreds of times more mutagenic

ISRO raises GSAT-14's orbit

FLORA AND FAUNA
Norway says working to end Russian boycott on fish exports

Melanin in marine fossils offers clues about where they could survive

Despite rains, Dead Sea water levels falls again in December

For sharks, old age may be 70 or more: study

FLORA AND FAUNA
Ice rescue sparks Antarctic tourism debate

Antarctic mission over as ships clear ice field

Trapped ships break through Antarctic ice

El Nino tied to melting of Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier

FLORA AND FAUNA
Over 350 sick in Japan after eating pesticide-tainted food: NHK

Indonesian palm oil firm to pay losses in 'historic' ruling

Improper use of biocides in food production may endanger public health

Wanted: Billions of bees for European farms

FLORA AND FAUNA
Mine landslide triggered quakes

Texas to hire seismologist to study if quakes, energy production tied

Longmanshen fault zone still hazardous

Ground-breaking work sheds new light on volcanic activity

FLORA AND FAUNA
EU eyes military mission in C. Africa to deter massacres

China to work with Ghana on illegal mining: FM

A year after Mali action, France remains 'Africa's gendarme'

China says investment in Africa 'mutually beneficial'

FLORA AND FAUNA
Turning Off the "Aging Genes"

Money Talks When Ancient Antioch Meets Google Earth

Reading a good book may make permanent changes to your brain

Finnish research team reveals how emotions are mapped in the body




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement