Ivory: Power and Poaching in AfricaHalf of Tanzania's elephants have been killed for their ivory since 2007. A similar alarming story can be told of the herds in northern Mozambique and across swathes of central Africa, with forest elephants losing almost two-thirds of their numbers to the tusk trade. The huge rise in poaching and ivory smuggling in the new millennium has destroyed the hope that the 1989 ivory trade ban had capped poaching and would lead to a long-term fall in demand. But why the new upsurge? The answer is not simple. Since ancient times, large-scale killing of elephants for their tusks has been driven by demand outside Africa's elephant ranges - from the Egyptian pharaohs through Imperial Rome and industrialising Europe and North America to the new wealthy business class of China. And, who poaches and why do they do it? In recent years lurid press reports have blamed mass poaching on rebel movements and armed militias, especially Somalia's Al Shabaab, tying two together two evils - poaching and terrorism. But does this account stand up to scrutiny? This new and ground-breaking examination of the history and politics of ivory in Africa forensically examines why poaching happens in Africa and why it is corruption, crime and politics, rather than insurgency, that we should worry about. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
An Ancient but Bloody and Brutal Trade | 9 |
One Hundred Years of Exploitation and Extermination | 25 |
3 The Ivory Trade and Criminalisation of African Hunters Under Colonial Rule | 57 |
4 Conservation Corruption Crime and Conflict in East Africa | 99 |
5 The Killing Fields of Central and Southern Africa | 135 |
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accessed African African Elephant animals anti-poaching Arab areas armed army authorities became believed border Botswana British cent Central century China Chinese CITES colonial communities Congo conservation continued corruption crop culling Darfur decline demand Department despite Douglas-Hamilton early East effect elephant numbers elephant population established estimated European evidence exported figures forces forest funding groups growing helped herds hunters hunting illegal illicit important income increase independence International involved ivory trade Journal Kenya killed London major Martin moved Mozambique National Park networks NGOs northern numbers officials operations Parker poachers poaching political problem protection range rangers reduced region regulated remained reserves rise role sell slaves smuggling Somali South South Africa southern Sudan survey taking Tanzania tion tons Tsavo tusks Uganda units West Western wildlife Zambia Zimbabwe