The Hong Kong politics voted Wednesday to finish domestic ivory deal stick to a similar move inChinaearlier this year .
The Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants(Amendment ) Bill 2017 , aka the Hong Kong Ivory Ban Bill , foster a nominate plan submit in2016to gradually phase out Hong Kong ’s pearl craft by 2021 .
The program act upon in three parts . First , the government will ban the import and re - exportation of all elephant - hunting prize . In the next step , the authorities will ban trading of “ pre - Convention ” ivory ( before 1976 ) and instate stricter licensing regulations . finally , willpower of commercial-grade pearl will be completely banish on December 31 , 2021 , shutting down local patronage .
Exceptions are made for science , teaching , law enforcement , and personal or household effects .
The bill also increase maximum penalties , fines , and imprisonment terms for both commercial and non - commercial offenses .
Opponents say the governance shouldcompensatetraders in some way .
Proponents say it is a primal step in the long process of shutting down globose ivory grocery and protecting elephant from poach . Some say the forbidding should be implemented sooner , arguingthe windowpane yield contrabandist more time to get ivory into mainland China .
Just last year,7.2 tonnesof ivory were attach in Hong Kong – the big tusk bust in 30 years .
The international pearl trade was banned in 1990 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ( CITES ) , but domesticated deal was bequeath unregulated . Since then , more than 30,000 elephants have been killed each twelvemonth for their ivory .
In 2016 , the United Nationsagreedto shut down domesticated ivory trade , but the motion was not de jure stick and a smattering of body politic , including Hong Kong , did n’t follow suit forthwith .
Japan is now the large open securities industry for bone . Thailand has restricted trade and is considering a ban , fit in toWild assistance .
“ I call on all governments in Asia to follow China and Hong Kong ’s lead by reenact their own domesticated bone ban legislation now , ” said Hong Kong lawgiver Hon . Elizabeth Quat in astatement .
The UK is thelargest exporterof legal off-white in the world – three times bigger than the US – and is also work toshut downits industriousness .
For more than 30 old age , the Asiatic elephant has been lean asendangered . Populations have been reduce by at least 50 percent in the last three propagation because of poaching . A recent estimation advise there are at most40,000Asian elephants left in the world .
Rhinos , whales , sea horse , and hippos are also threatened by the ivory trade and some are come to there will be asurge in demandfor ivory from new source .
For now , conservationists say the vote is a win .
