China ban on domestic ivory sales comes into force effective from Monday Jan 01,2018

A ban on all sales of ivory products in China comes into force on Sunday, a move hailed by conservationists as an important step in the fight to protect endangered species such as African elephants.

China one of the world's biggest markets for African ivory, announced last year that it would outlaw all domestic trade and processing by the end of 2017.

The move came after pressure that its vast demand for ivory - seen as a status symbol by some in the country - fuels elephant poaching in countries such as Kenya and Tanzania.

"Decades from now, we may point back to this as one of the most important days in the history of elephant conservation", Ginette Hemley, senior vice president for wildlife conservation at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said in a statement on Saturday Dec 30,2017

"China has followed through on a great promise it made to the world, offering hope for the future of elephants."

Note

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which took effect in 1975, banned international ivory trade in 1989

China, however, continued to allow ivory sales domestically.