- The five endangered CITES-listed species to receive greater
legal protections under world-leading Ivory Act 2018
- Key manifesto commitment met as part of a wider UK drive on
international conservation
Hippopotamus, walrus, narwhal,
killer whale (orca) and sperm whale are set to receive greater
legal protections under the UK’s world-leading ban on importing,
exporting and dealing in items containing ivory, the Government
has announced today (Tuesday 23 May 2023) – delivering on a key
animal welfare manifesto commitment.
Hippopotamus is the species
most at risk from the trade in its ivory after elephants. The
other species are already threatened by climate change, and the
continuing trade in their ivory may exacerbate these threats and
make their long-term survival less
likely.
Putting the UK at the forefront
of global conservation efforts, today’s consultation response
confirms plans to extend the Ivory Act 2018 to ban all dealing in
ivory from these species, including imports and exports.
The UK’s world-leading Ivory
Act is one of the toughest bans on elephant ivory sales in the
world, with some of the strongest enforcement measures. Those
found guilty of breaching the ban face tough penalties including
an unlimited fine or up to five years in jail.
Biodiversity
Minister
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.”
Steve Backshall MBE
said:
“This is an important moment in
the conservation of these iconic species.
There is widespread public
support for the Ivory ban and today by extending it further we
are sending a clear message that there is no place in the U.K.
for this vile trade.”
Frances Goodrum, Head
of Campaigns and Programmes at IFAW UK said:
“As we approach the one-year
anniversary of the UK Ivory Act coming into force, IFAW UK are
encouraged by early indications that the ban is having a
significant impact on the trade in elephant ivory. Yet
other species are still poached globally to meet an unnecessary
demand for “luxury” ivory products, including the hippopotamus,
walrus, narwhal, sperm whale and killer whale. We welcome
DEFRA’s decision to extend this powerful legislation, which will
go a long way in cracking down on a damaging trade. Today is
a good day for conservation and a step change towards
international commitments to safeguard our natural
world”
The five species are all listed
under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Fauna and Flora (CITES), which regulates their trade
internationally, and hippopotamus, walrus and sperm whale are
listed as vulnerable on the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list.
The announcement today comes
following an extensive public consultation and with the one-year
anniversary of the successful ivory ban approaching.
Since 6 June 2022, there has
been over 6,500 registrations and certificates issued for
exempted items so that they continue to form part of our artistic
and cultural heritage.
The Government is a world
leader in international conservation – with the UK playing a key
role supporting the agreement of the ambitious Kunming-Montreal
Global Biodiversity Framework in December. The new deal, signed
by 195 countries, commits countries to protect 30% of our land
and ocean by 2030 and end human-induced extinctions of known
threatened species.
