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Nature Conservancy, Martin & Co. team up to save African elephants

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A conservation group and a builder of top-notch acoustic guitars have joined forces to combat the insatiable global appetite for ivory that is threatening the existence of African elephants.

The nonprofit Nature Conservancy and C. F. Martin & Co. on Thursday launched #SaveElephants, a campaign to reduce demand for ivory and increase resources needed to fight poachers who systematically killed an estimated 30,000 elephants last year alone.

At current rates, wildlife advocates say, African elephants will be extinct within a decade.

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“This partnership aims to educate consumers and erode the prestige of ivory,” Amani Duncan, vice-president of brand marketing at Martin, said in an interview.

With that goal in mind, the campaign will use social media and influential entertainment industry figures to “put pressure on China to impose a moratorium on ivory products and on African leaders to invest in security measures to protect elephants and curb poaching,” David Banks, a spokesman for the Nature Conservancy, said.

Musicians lending their support include Greg Bates, Danny Davis, Donavon Frankenreiter, Jason Isbell, John Oates, Amanda Shires and James Valentine of Maroon 5.

The Obama administration plans to prohibit the import, export and resale of elephant ivory within the United States, one of the world’s largest markets for illicit animal parts.

The lucrative ivory trade has made poaching widespread in Africa and attracted the involvement of well-armed organized crime members. Demand has pushed the price of ivory to $1,500 a pound.

As it stands, about 8% of the remaining 470,000 African elephants are poached every year, according to the African Wildlife Foundation.

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Ivory is not part of Martin’s supply chain and is not used on any guitar model it manufacturers.

Follow me @LouisSahagun for more fascinating stories

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