African Environmentalists Praise China's Ivory Ban

 

China has made the sale of ivory in the country illegal.

Conservationists have welcomed the decision. They say any legal ivory trade in the world hurts efforts to stop the killing¹ of elephants.

Max Graham is the Chief Executive of the group Space For Giants which works to protect elephants. He said, “There’s a new conservation superpower in the world that is taking its responsibilities seriously.”

He said that the ban on the ivory trade will support a larger struggle against all kinds of illegal trade in wildlife. The traditional use of wildlife parts in Asia, and especially in China, he said, has been responsible for the loss of “rare species around the world.”

China announced the ban at the end of 2016. The measure went into effect in December 2017. Conservationists are pleased about China’s decision, but they worry about its enforcement.

Frank Pope is the chief of another environmental group, Save the Elephants. He believes the ban could greatly improve the future for elephants. But there is one problem, he says.

“You’re going to see secondary markets,” he notes. Pope adds that these markets are “…in Vietnam, in Laos, in Myanmar and in Hong Kong. All of these places have markets that have boomed” when China announced its ban.

Philip Muruthi is an official with the African Wildlife foundation. He also welcomes the ban but notes the importance of keeping new markets from growing.

“About 35,000 elephants…are lost each year. There are 415,000 on this continent (Africa). That means that in 20 years…we will not have any elephants,” he said.

He added that the loss of the elephant population would destroy Africa’s wildlife tourism and the jobs that it creates in countries like Kenya and South Africa.

“It’s about the African peoples’ well-being². It’s about our heritage,” he said.

Conservationists say that stopping the illegal killing of elephants for their ivory tusks⁴ is important, but so is managing their living areas. They urge African governments to do more to reduce threats to wildlife.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

ivory – n. a hard white substance that forms the tusks of elephants and other animals with tusks

conservationist –n. a person who works to protect animals, plants and natural resources to prevent their loss

species – n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

tourism –n. the industry of providing hotels, restaurants and entertainment for people who travel for pleasure

heritage –n. the traditions, history, art and knowledge of a group or nation

tusk³ – n. a very long, large tooth that sticks out of the mouth of an animal such as an elephant

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

3 tusk   

n.獠牙，长牙，象牙

参考例句：

• The wild boar had its tusk sunk deeply into a tree and howled desperately.野猪的獠牙陷在了树里，绝望地嗥叫着。
• A huge tusk decorated the wall of his study.他书房的墙上装饰着一支巨大的象牙。

4 tusks   

n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头

参考例句：

• The elephants are poached for their tusks. 为获取象牙而偷猎大象。
• Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used in some parts of Africa. 非洲的一些地区则使用象牙、猴尾和盐。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）