China Ivory Import Approved

Despite strong objections from conservation groups, a United Nations agency has approved the sale of African elephant ivory to China.

Meeting in Geneva, the U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species by a majority vote said China qualified for the import because it has dramatically improved its enforcement of ivory rules, Xinhua reported Wednesday.

The decision will allow China to bid on a stock of more than 100 tons of ivory obtained from culling and from elephants that had died of natural causes in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Conservation groups maintain giving permission to China to import the ivory amounted to a death sentence on African elephants because it would fuel demand and encourage poaching, The Daily Telegraph reported.

African states say the sale will help finance their conservation programs and management of elephant populations, the British newspaper reported.

African elephant populations have fallen to about 625,000 from 1.3 million a decade ago.

Besides China, Japan is the only other country allowed to buy ivory.

Robbie Marsland, Britain’s director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, condemned the decision, the BBC reported. He said the decision will stimulate demand and create a smokescreen for illegal ivory to be laundered into the legal market.