eBay will ban all ivory sales starting 1 Jan 2009, but a better policy would be to partner with government agencies to make sure that all ivory sales are legal. Banning the sales will simply make it harder to find illegal sales and discourage legal transactions.
Context of the story:
Why is this important? Elephant conservation is a difficult task for many reasons, but years of experience has led conservationists to agree that managed elephant populations and a regulated market for ivory are the best tools for protecting the world’s largest land mammal.
Who is involved? eBay is an online auction website. The International Fund for Animal Welfare shamed eBay into stopping the legal ivory sales.
Where is this happening? eBay facilitates sales all over the world.
How can you get involved? Write to eBay and tell them that you think their decision is a bad idea. Join and support conservation groups like the World Wildlife Fund. Encourage your government to find sustainable conservation policies. Careers that deal with these issues: law, biology, and economics.
