Title
Demand for forest elephant ivory in Japan
Author(s)
Nishihara, T.
Published
2012
Publisher
PACHYDERM
Abstract
Japan is the only country where a strong demand for ‘hard’ or forest elephant ivory still exists. This demand differs from that of China, which consumes more ivory but where no preference for soft or hard ivory exists. While there is no hard evidence that ivory originating from forest elephants in Central Africa is smuggled into Japan, the question remains whether only old stock of hard ivory can be meeting the stable demand. Through investigations in ivory markets in Japan, it was found that ivory dealers there have limited knowledge of the domestic ivory-trade control system and have not applied it. Also, this control system is not sufficient to manage the legal ivory trade. These factors may facilitate the illegal importation of hard ivory into the Japanese market. We recommend that the Japanese ivory-management system be re-evaluated and improved, focusing on hard ivory stock management. In addition, Japan should develop an information-sharing system for forest elephant conservation by producing and distributing practical education materials in Japanese. These are priorities because hard ivory originates in the Central African region, where poaching pressure on forest elephants is increasing, resulting in a drastic decline in their populations.
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PUB14411