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Can We Sustainably Harvest Ivory?
David Lusseau1, Phyllis C Lee2
1Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK.
Current Biology : CB
|September 20, 2016
Summary
A legal ivory trade may not stop elephant poaching, as sustainable harvest levels are far below current demand. Focusing on reducing consumer demand is crucial for conservation efforts.
Area of Science:
- Wildlife conservation science
- Population dynamics modeling
- Sustainable resource management
Background:
- The 1989 ivory trade ban has failed to stop elephant poaching, with increased illegal activity since 2008 driven by consumer demand.
- CITES is considering a legal ivory trade, assuming regulation will halt illegal activities and sustainable quotas can be enforced.
- Past regulations, such as whaling quotas and one-off ivory sales, did not eliminate illegal harvesting, and governance challenges complicate supply chain management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility of a sustainable legal ivory trade by quantifying potential ivory yields.
- To determine if regulated harvest levels can meet current consumer demand for ivory.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of proposed legal ivory trade policies in curbing elephant poaching.
Main Methods:
- Development of a compartmental model integrating a two-sex age-structured demographic model with an ivory production and harvest model.
- Application of various offtake and quota strategies to estimate sustainable ivory harvest levels.
- Analysis of population dynamics and ivory yield under different harvesting scenarios.
Main Results:
- The potential sustainable ivory harvest from a reference population of 1,360 elephants is estimated to be only 100 to 150 kg.
- This sustainable yield is significantly lower than current global consumer demand for ivory products.
- The study indicates that regulatory measures alone are insufficient to control illegal ivory trade and poaching.
Conclusions:
- Lifting the ban on ivory trade is unlikely to resolve the ongoing elephant poaching crisis.
- Sustainable ivory harvesting levels are too low to meet existing demand, suggesting a legal trade would not eliminate the black market.
- Conservation strategies should prioritize reducing consumer demand for ivory products over regulating trade.
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