China takes the fight to ivory smugglers while elephant herds shrink(2)

He thinks the ivory market in China has drifted away from the traditional sale of crafts, with ivory becoming a status symbol. As a result of the rising demands in China and falling demand in other countries, China has become a new "target" for many animal protection organizations.

The Chinese government mandates that all ivory products in China should be sold together with a certificate provided by the State Forestry Administration.

But according to a 2011 inspection by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), out of 158 ivory processing and points of sale in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Fujian Province, 59.6 percent of legally licensed ivory enterprises also have a hand in illegal trade. They mix legal and illegal material so that smuggled ivory can be sold without drawing suspicion, the Phoenix Weekly reported.

Meanwhile, market demand has driven up the price of ivory. According to a report released by STE in June, the price of raw ivory on the Chinese market increased from $750 per kilogram in 2010 to $2,100 per kilogram in 2014. The report said because the price of ivory in China is 10 times the price in Africa, poachers and organized crime now have increased incentive to smuggle ivory to China.

But the Chinese government doesn't entirely agree with such accusations. Meng told media in 2013 that "China has always taken strict measures regulating the ivory trade … there are many reasons elephant poaching activities are on the rise, it can't be blamed on the market demand in China."

A tough fight

China has indeed stepped up efforts to regulate the ivory trade. As Meng says, there are other factors contributing to the increasing organized crimes around poaching and smuggling.

Zhang told the Phoenix Weekly that 10 years ago, China could only intercept 10 percent of the ivory smuggled into the country; now it intercepts 80 to 90 percent, a sign of the government's determination to stamp out ivory smuggling.

"So we can ask, from the elephant poaching in African countries, to transporting and smuggling the ivory into other countries, there are so many links. Why don't any other countries crack down before it reaches China?" Zhang asked.

The Chinese government has also become more vocal on the matter. On January 6, the State Forestry Administration and the General Administration of Customs publicly destroyed 6.1 tons of confiscated ivory in Dongguan, South China's Guangdong Province, to demonstrate their dedication to cracking down on illegal ivory trade and protecting wildlife. It was also the first time authorities on the Chinese mainland destroy confiscated ivory.

Authorities also released information showing that China has investigated 930 criminal cases involving smuggling endangered species in the past decade, while arresting and prosecuting 1,395 suspects.

One month before Kantai's arrival in China, on May 10, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said at the African summit of the World Economic Forum that the Chinese government will provide Africa 10 million dollars in aid to protect its wildlife resources.

Aid is coming from both central and local governments, with additional help from NGOs. Starting on May 26, the Guangzhou customs office and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) started a week-long campaign against ivory coming across the border.

But the effort may not be enough. The Southern Weekly reported that the forestry bureau doesn't have enough staff to deal with the ivory black market in China, while the administration for industry and commerce doesn't have the power to confiscate illegal goods, and public security departments have higher priority targets.

The Southern Weekly report described a surprise inspection at Panjiayuan - a well-known market in Beijing - in 2007, during which officers from the forestry, public security and administration for industry and commerce cooperated. But two hours before the surprise inspection, all the sales stalls in the Panjiayuan black market were cleared out.

In 2011, an uncertified ivory salesperson told an inspector, "Usually 10 days before government sends someone here for inspections, we will get tipped off by phone." When questioned further, she refused to talk.

Under such circumstances, pushing for policy change and getting the public to act might be a solution. Simon Hedges, a scientist at the elephant protection group of WCS, told the Phoenix Weekly.

"Rhinoceros horns were once popular in Korea and Japan. But the demand decreased because of import and domestic trade bans, as well efforts by the government to educate the public," he said. "Saving the elephants in crisis might require the same level of cooperation."