Poaching of African elephants for their ivory tusks is still on the rise, despite the international ban on ivory implemented at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in 1989, over 20 years ago. In fact, elephant poaching has reached record levels in recent years, with 22,000 killings in 2012 alone. The demand for the ivory can be traced to China, to which 70% of the harvested ivory flows.

This situation is a dire one. Wildlife experts estimate that the African elephant could be entirely extinct by 2025, creating a problem for African ecosystems. Not only is the elephant an extremely unique and fascinating animal: It also plays a vital environmental role in African grasslands. By grazing on trees and shrubs that take roots among the grasses, elephants prevent the transformation of the grasslands into forests or shrub-lands. The effect that this change would have on other species of animals is a detrimental one, as many of these creatures are not adapted to this type of environment. African forest elephants are also considered keystone species because they help disperse seeds of several plants that would otherwise not be able to successfully reproduce. Wildlife diversity throughout Africa is very much dependent on the elephant, which is why their decreasing population size is so alarming.

The illegal ivory trade has gotten the attention of several terrorist groups, including al-Shabaab of Somalia, the group that was responsible for the attack on the Westgate shopping center of Nairobi in September of 2013. According to a group known as the Elephant Action League, up to three tons of illegal ivory enters Somalia every month through al-Shabaab, from which it is shipped out. The earnings from the valuable ivory fund terrorist operations such as the attack on the Nairobi shopping center which resulted in 72 deaths. Without the Chinese market’s high demand for ivory, the value of this commodity would significantly decrease, rendering it unprofitable for groups like al-Shabaab to recruit poachers.

It is necessary that China take action to stop the illegal smuggling and trade of ivory in order to save the African elephant. A lack of this response to this problem could lead to problems not only in Africa, but also throughout the world. Please consider taking steps to help reduce the demand for ivory and thereby decrease the poaching problem in Africa.