https://www.scmp.com/rss/312651/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com International media and the wildlife conservation community hailed China’s announcement last year that it would close down its domestic ivory market. Some described it as a game-changer and a huge blow to elephant poachers and smugglers of ivory. Months on, the debate on domestic trade in ivory remains a live issue in certain countries, while in some others, ivory carvings are still openly on sale. Where domestic bans are proposed, such as in Hong Kong, the timing of the ban remains an issue. In... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2098065/global-fight-against-illegal-ivory-trade-needs-more-teeth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2098065/global-fight-against-illegal-ivory-trade-needs-more-teeth?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jun 2017 05:29:18 +0000 On January 2, new rules related to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) take effect, bringing hundreds of additional timber species under its legally binding global trade controls. Conferences, declarations and reports highlight the scale of the challenge of sustainably and legally regulating trade in valuable timber. Yet, there is only one international agreement that obliges states across the value chain to ensure legal and sustainable... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2055777/how-battle-axe-illegal-timber-trade-being-won?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2055777/how-battle-axe-illegal-timber-trade-being-won?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Dec 2016 09:36:23 +0000 Five years ago, we were in St. Petersburg at the International Forum for Tiger Conservation working with many others to conserve the wild tiger in its natural habitats. At the time, the tiger was hanging on to existence by its claws. Reduced to little more than 3,000 in the wild, the animal was slowly being hunted, skinned and trafficked into oblivion. Tragically, the tiger has been joined on extinction's edge by a number of other emblematic animals, such as wild populations of rhinos and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1875883/targeting-corruption-key-saving-endangered-species?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1875883/targeting-corruption-key-saving-endangered-species?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Nov 2015 04:24:27 +0000 Today is World Wildlife Day - a day set aside by the UN General Assembly to promote the intrinsic value of wildlife and its contribution to sustainable development and human well-being. Two global conventions are at the forefront of wildlife conservation in the UN system: the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. They are natural allies in the conservation of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1438698/wildlife-enriches-planet-and-those-living-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1438698/wildlife-enriches-planet-and-those-living-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Mar 2014 19:18:51 +0000