independent: Hong Kong votes to ban ivory sales one month after China embargo comes into force

Hong Kong has voted to ban the trade of ivory in a landmark decision after years of campaigning.

Politicians voted in favour of amending an existing law to outlaw sales of ivory in the Chinese territory by 2021.

The proposal also includes significantly stiffer penalties for the smuggling of ivory and other highly endangered species to deter black market sales.

Researchers say Hong Kong is the world’s largest ivory market.

Under the new law, the maximum sentence will increase to a HK$10m (£920,000) fine, which is double the current amount, and 10 years in prison, up from the current two years.

Wildlife activists celebrated the move, even though Hong Kong has moved more slowly than Beijing.

Mainland China, the biggest source of ivory demand, banned sales at the start of the year after shutting all carving factories and shops last March.

The ban will have a "chilling effect on the global demand for ivory," Iris Ho, a spokesperson for Humane Society International, told The Independent.

CBFP News

27-05-2020 13:20

WWF: Rainforest deforestation more than doubled under cover of coronavirus -DW

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27-05-2020 13:01

Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park Monthly update April 2020

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25-05-2020 12:27

Resources and follow-up from the virtual FAO-EcoAgriculture Partners Roundtable

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25-05-2020 11:45

Start of the Support Project for the Development of Continuing Training in the Forest-Woods Sector in Central Africa (Appui au Développement de la Formation Continue dans la Filière Forêt-Bois en Afrique Centrale -ADEFAC) - ATIBT

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25-05-2020 11:12

ATIBT -CBFP: Private Sector mobilized around the CBFP Facilitator of the Federal Republic of Germany

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25-05-2020 10:01

Development and institutionalization of a PAFC certification system for the Congo basin: opening of the second public consultation on Sustainable Forest Management Certification Standard, 23 May 2020 - 22 June 2020

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22-05-2020 11:43

Forest defenders on the COVID-19 frontline stand ready to assist the global EU response – Fern

These efforts go hand in hand with ensuring continued responsible management of natural resources and preventing unsustainably and illegally sourced forest commodities. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, forest-monitoring organisations Observatoire de la Gouvernance Forestière (OGF) and Réseau des observateurs indépendants des ressources naturelles (RENOI) are set to carry out COVID awareness-raising in at-risk forest areas, and will also assess COVID’s impact on forest management and governance commitments under the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI). Across the Congo Basin, fears that a proper lack of oversight may put forests and forest peoples in danger are looming despite emerging initiatives.

22-05-2020 11:22

22 May 2020 International Day for Biological Diversity

The theme of the 2020 International Day for Biological Diversity is “Our Solutions are in Nature”. It shows that "Biodiversity remains the answer to a number of sustainable development challenges that we all face. From nature-based solutions to climate, to food and water security, and sustainable livelihoods, biodiversity remains the basis for a sustainable future."

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