2018-美国象牙市场（英文版）-3mb

2017 TRAFFIC US Elephant Ivory Market Report Summary

Core Content

This report by TRAFFIC, in collaboration with WWF and IFAW, provides a detailed analysis of the US elephant ivory market in 2016, serving as a baseline for assessing the impact of new regulations aimed at curbing the illegal trade. The study focuses on both physical and online markets, documenting the availability, quantity, and price of elephant ivory across six major US cities and six prominent online platforms.

Main Findings

Physical Market Findings

• Surveyed Cities: Greater Boston, Massachusetts; Greater Los Angeles, California; New York City, New York; Portland, Oregon; San Francisco, California; and Greater Washington, DC.
• Total Ivory Items: 1,589 items were identified across 227 vendors.
• City Breakdown:
  • Washington, DC: 658 items from 68 vendors, the highest volume.
  • Portland, Oregon: 254 items from 37 vendors.
  • New York City: 224 items from 41 vendors.
  • Greater Boston: 188 items from 22 vendors.
  • Greater Los Angeles: 177 items from 42 vendors.
  • San Francisco: 88 items from 17 vendors.
• Online Classifieds: 446 listings across the six cities.
• Common Items: Carved ivory figurines (780 items), jewelry (417 items), household goods (261 items), personal items (95 items), musical instruments (23 items), uncarved ivory (13 items), and furniture (6 items).
• Market Trends: Physical markets showed a marked decline in ivory availability due to regulatory and public awareness efforts, but online trade appears to be increasing.

Online Market Findings

• Surveyed Platforms: Six major internet commerce platforms.
• Total Ivory Items: 2,056 items from vendors in 47 US states.
• Top States by Sellers:
  • Florida: 74 vendors, 573 items.
  • California: 93 vendors, 173 items.
  • New York: 62 vendors, 117 items.
  • Colorado: 7 vendors, 116 items.
  • Pennsylvania: 24 vendors, 102 items.
  • Arizona: 19 vendors, 93 items.
• Documentation Issues: Most vendors did not provide proof of ivory provenance, and items were often mislabeled as other materials (e.g., bone or celluloid).
• Legal Uncertainty: Vendors in cities with active state bans were confused about the law and some believed they were breaking it by selling ivory.
• Market Shifts: There is anecdotal evidence that the market is shifting to states with less regulation, such as Nevada and Florida.

Key Information

• Regulatory Context: In 2016, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) implemented a "near-total ban" on the import, export, and domestic trade of African elephant ivory.
• China's Response: China also announced plans to end its legal domestic ivory trade by the end of 2017, following international pressure.
• Historical Context: The US was previously identified as the second-largest elephant ivory market in 2008, with an estimated one-third of items being illegal.
• Ivory Trade Impact: The illegal ivory trade has tripled since 2007, with 274 metric tons of raw and worked ivory seized between 2007 and 2014.
• Poaching Crisis: The report highlights that the global demand for elephant ivory has driven a poaching crisis in Africa, with 20,000 elephants killed illegally in 2015.

Recommendations

For US Law Enforcement

• Dedicate additional staffing and resources to cybercrime investigations related to ivory trade.
• Establish and maintain protocols with online companies to investigate persistent offenders with potentially illegal ivory items.
• Increase publicity on punitive measures from court cases to deter criminal activity and reduce consumer demand.
• Invest in lower-cost rapid forensics to better determine the origin and age of ivory items in trade.
• Scale efforts to educate the industry, private sellers, and the public on regulations related to the import and domestic sale of elephant ivory.
• Support regular quantitative domestic market monitoring to track shifts in physical and online markets against the 2016 baseline.

For US E-Commerce Companies

• Share information with law enforcement on persistent offenders selling ivory against site policy.
• Regularly consult with wildlife trafficking experts to update filters with the latest keyword and workaround trends.
• Collaborate with other e-commerce and social media companies to share best practices in detecting elephant ivory.
• Explore technological solutions like data mining and machine learning to automatically detect ivory advertisements.
• Launch online campaigns to raise awareness and encourage users to report suspect advertisements, which can then be checked and removed by the companies.

For Retailers and Industry Associations

• Be fully aware of relevant federal and state regulations and regularly inform members of requirements and precautions.
• Actively promote information on how to avoid breaching laws on the sale, purchase, transport, and import/export of elephant ivory at trade fairs, expos, conventions, and through industry publications.
• Provide clear information at the point of sale for items that are exempt from regulations, including documentation proving legal origin.
• Avoid selling or purchasing ivory items where the legal provenance cannot be assured.

Conclusion

The report concludes that while the physical market for elephant ivory in the US has declined due to regulatory and public awareness efforts, the trade is increasingly moving online. This transition necessitates ongoing and regular monitoring to effectively assess the impact of new regulations and to understand shifts in demand and supply. The 2016 baseline serves as a critical reference point for future assessments and policy development.