Criminalise the Trade of Elephant Ivory in ALL Countries!

Elephant poaching plays a significant part in the depletion of elephant populations. This poaching was spurred on by the illegal trade of ivory. Elephant's tusks, which are elongated incisors, are composed of ivory. Ivory is a valued substance as it can be sold for large amounts of money. The illegal ivory trade had an extremely large impact in the early nineteenth century. National Geographic (2018) states that in 1800 the elephant population was 26 million and today is fewer than one million. This depletion is said to be a factor that fuelled the "ivory frenzy" (National Geographic, 2018) in the early 1900s. Throughout history, the desire for ivory products has outweighed the efforts of trying to recover the elephant population which lead, in 1989, to the UN enforcing an international ban against the trade of ivory. According to Hsiang et al (2016), this ban was supposed to protect elephants from extinction but has seemed to have the opposite effect. The diminished supply has seemed to only increase incentives and rewards for the poachers themselves. This trading needs to be stopped. And even if this petition could get a few signatures, it would make an impact no matter how small. Elephants play a key role in many people's lives including my own. So why would you want them to disappear. Will you help to save these majestic creatures?

References:
National Geographic (2018). The History of the Ivory Trade.
Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/history-ivory-trade/

Hsiang, S., Seguya, A., Martin, R., Sekar, N., Di Minin, E. and MacMillan, D. (2016) Debate: Would a legal ivory trade save elephants or speed up the massacre?
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/01/debate-can-legal-ivory-trade-save-elephants