Xishuangbanna, China, March 2016—Last week a workshop on reducing demand for illegal wildlife products was jointly convened by the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA), the British Embassy to China and TRAFFIC in Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanic Gardens.

Representatives from China’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Management Authority (CITES MA), the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Public Security and local enforcement agencies including China Customs, State Forestry Administration, Forestry Police, General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection & Quarantine, China Association of UN, forestry universities, Tencent and other companies, totaling around 50 people attended.

China has experienced a number of significant developments relating to ivory trade in the past year, including the one-year ban on import of African ivory carvings, as well as a joint China and US commitment to enact a near complete ban on the import and export of ivory. These measures will influence trade and consumption of both legal and illegal ivory in China. The anticipated ban will also impact demand for ivory.

Zhang Shanning, Director of Enforcement Division, Chinese CITES MA, spoke about the Chinese authorities’ preparative work for realizing President Xi Jinping’s ivory ban commitment.

He said: “Chinese authorities are adopting various ways to implement the ivory trade ban. A specific timeline has not been published but it is understood to be taking place within the lifetime of this administration,” adding “The ivory ban is a joint commitment by China and the US, we shall move forward simultaneously and witness each other’s implementation steps.”

The workshop aimed to identify ways to deal with emerging trends and challenges on the demand for ivory and other wildlife products potentially brought about by the future ban. For example, how to strengthen control of illegal wildlife trade and legal deterrence to curb the market and change purchasing behaviour accordingly.

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