P.M. BRIEFING : Ivory Moratorium Called Success
A U.S. moratorium on ivory from African elephants has effectively ended demand for ivory in this country and has inspired similar actions around the world, the World Wildlife Fund said today.
“Imports dropped to near zero, and the U.S. market has virtually collapsed,” the private conservation organization said in a new report.
President Bush, at the WWF’s urging, imposed a ban on commercial imports one year ago, on June 5, 1989.
The ban allowed sales of existing stocks of ivory.
But a WWF survey of the 15 largest U.S. ivory dealers found that even existing stocks are being deeply discounted and still are not attracting buyers.
Before the import ban, U.S. ivory imports averaged more than $20 million a year and accounted for 10% to 15% of the world market.
By all accounts, prices for raw ivory in Africa have fallen sharply, by as much as 90%.
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