Governments' Empty Gestures to Combat Ivory Trade

Burning and destroying ill-gotten ivory does nothing to protect animals from poachers, nor does it lower demand.

article by Evan Koser

Here's a headline for you: India to burn its ivory stockpile as poaching deterrent

On its face, burning poached ivory appears to be well-meaning, but the sad truth is that burning ill-gotten ivory only hurts the cause. Ultimately, the gesture is empty. Not only will it have the opposite effect—i.e. the encouragement of poaching—but it fails to address the underlying issues driving the black market in ivory:

• that demand for ivory is largely Asian and driven by deep cultural beliefs and, often, misunderstanding;
• that the black market is a result of State collusion and
• that State-regulated conservation efforts often constitute monopoly and prevent private markets from preserving wildlife.

All that burnt ivory drives the black market prices sky high which encourages poachers to kill other animals despite the risks because it’s that much more lucrative. The ivory trade is ancient, burning the supply won’t stop demand for the product. The market is “thriving” as the LA Times put it. Much like drug interdiction efforts by U.S. and South American militaries has had little measurable impact on the flow of controlled narcotics across the border.

What’s more, other governments which have burned ivory have been known to actively protect certain poaching efforts over others:

In March 2014, an investigation by KTN reporter, Dennis Onsarigo, revealed that [Kenyan] President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration was not only aware of the identities of the top 11 poaching kingpins, but was actively protecting them.

This type of State monopoly (on violence and economy) prevents private individuals and organizations from protecting these animals by investing in them. A far better alternative would be to sell the ivory already acquired to museums and foundations and individuals and use the proceeds to fund conservation and breeding efforts while simultaneously investing in awareness education and even 3D-printed, synthetic ivory. In theory, the market could be flooded to drive down the price of ivory and the incentive to hunt the animals. I’m doubtful but only because I imagine a market for the “real thing” would always stick around.

#black-market #ivory #ivory-trade #statism #india #poaching #poachers #free-market