This archive report was first published on 12 August 2019.
On World Elephant Day, Singapore announced a significant step towards protecting endangered elephants by banning the domestic trade in ivory from September 2021.
The move comes as a response to the surge in poaching across Africa, driven by demand for ivory in Asian countries such as China and Vietnam.
Although the international trade in ivory has been banned since 1990 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), environmentalists have long argued that poached ivory can be disguised as legal when trade is allowed in licensed outlets.
According to The National Parks Board, a government agency, the ban will prohibit the sale of elephant ivory and ivory products, as well as public displays of these items for sale.
China, the largest end-market for elephant ivory, banned domestic trade in 2017, and Singapore's move is a significant step towards reducing the demand for ivory.
It is estimated that 100 African elephants are killed each day by poachers, leaving only 400,000 remaining, and this ban is a crucial step towards protecting these majestic creatures.
