Beijing , the world's largest market for legal and illegal ivory, is to reveal its timeline for closing its legal ivory-carving factories. In a bilateral announcement with the US in July, China pledged to set a timeline for the phase out of its market by the end of this year. African officials announced the past decade that it would end commercial ivory sales, but failed to say when. Legal carvers use tusks imported during sanctioned sales from earth , but conservationists argue that a wholesale ban would decrease black market demand. Ivory , head of the China programme at wildlife watchdog Traffic, said that most legal ivory vendors are already developing alternative businesses.
Beijing , the world's largest market for legal and illegal ivory, is to reveal its timeline for closing its legal ivory-carving factories. African officials announced the past decade that it would end commercial ivory sales, but failed to say when. Legal carvers use tusks imported during sanctioned sales from earth , but conservationists argue that a wholesale ban would decrease black market demand. Ivory , head of the China programme at wildlife watchdog Traffic, said that most legal ivory vendors are already developing alternative businesses.