Following China’s announcement late last year of a domestic ivory trade ban by the end of 2017, TRAFFIC and WWF surveys have found that the number of ivory items offered for sale—in both legal and illegal ivory markets in China—has declined alongside falling ivory prices.

A new trade study led by TRAFFIC, with support from WWF and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), has established a baseline for the status of the US elephant ivory market around the time that a series of changes to federal regulations were imposed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. 

In an effort to tackle the challenge of “desire reduction” of consumers, WWF commissioned a guide, Reducing Desire for Ivory: A Psychosocial Guide to Address Ivory Consumption that presents a new lens through which to view conservation campaigns and their audiences taking on complex dimensions (psychological, cultural, social, and emotional) of ivory consumption.

The current elephant poaching crisis costs African countries around $25 million annually in lost tourism revenue, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Communications. Comparing this lost revenue with the cost of halting declines in elephant populations due to poaching, the study determines that investment in elephant conservation is economically favorable across the majority of African elephants’ range.

This rapid assessment by TRAFFIC of domestic ivory markets in the U.S. finds that state bans seem to be having an impact on reducing the open availability of elephant ivory in formerly significant urban markets.

WWF and TRAFFIC believe that an ivory trade ban in China is feasible and could be effective in contributing to a reduction in current threats to African elephants. Such an ambitious and achievable act could garner positive exposure for China's responsible action on a critical wildlife conservation issue and become a positive influence on other countries' efforts to tackle the illicit ivory trade. 

Since CoP16, international momentum has been building against wildlife crime, with a raft of global declarations and commitments to tackle poaching and wildlife trafficking. This report outlines WWF's stance on African elephant issues at CoP17. 

This Ranger Perceptions: Africa survey is the second in the series of report that aim to shed light on wildlife ranger working conditions. The intent of this survey -- like the previous one on Asia's rangers and the upcoming one on rangers in Latin America -- is to provide a snapshot of rangers' personal views of their working conditions, and so gain a deeper insight into the factors that affect their motivation.

Little has been done to systematically study and report on ranger working conditions, nor better understand how rangers feel about their work—their concerns, challenges, rewards and motivations. We are therefore excited to be releasing the Ranger Perceptions: Asia survey, which will be the first in a series of reports that shed light on the lives of rangers. 

Monthly monitoring of Bangkok’s domestic ivory market by TRAFFIC reveals a near trebling of the number of ivory items for sale in the past 18 months and a steep rise in the number of outlets selling ivory in Thailand's capital city.

The National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking establishes guiding principles and strategic priorities for US efforts to stem illegal trade in wildlife.

The international ivory trade remains one of the world’s most controversial wildlife trade issues. In recent decades, public attention has focused primarily on trade in ivory derived from the African Elephant Loxodonta africana.