China's ivory trade ban: how to make it work

Elephants will only be safe when decisive action is taken against the ivory traffickers who have been operating under the cover of the legal trade

China's decision to ban all trade in ivory by the end of the year has been widely hailed as a game changer by environmentalists in China itself and across the world. There is no doubt that this is very welcome news.

Many commentators have also pointed out that this new Chinese policy is also motivated by self-interest. China has rapidly growing economic and political interests in Africa and hopes to improve its image on the continent by responding to pressure from its African allies to reduce demand for ivory among Chinese consumers. If protecting elephants is in China's self-interest-and if African leaders care enough about them to put pressure on China to change its policies-that is also welcome news.