Global Ivory Legislation: Is it a Case of Material Culture vs the Elephant?

While concerns surrounding elephant conservation and the contentious ivory trade have been subjects of academic discourse throughout modern history, there exists a relative absence of scholarly examination regarding the impact of the emerging no-trade consensus on the ivory art market, in response to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wilde Fauna and Flora (CITES) Regulations 1975. This knowledge gap is particularly pronounced in countries that have recently implemented bans on ivory trade, such as the United Kingdom. This analysis takes into consideration the historical and contemporary roles of these countries in the sourcing, production and trade of elephant ivory, as well as the cultural and historical significance of ivory within their respective societies. The inclusion of such factors enables the assessment of the effectiveness of each nation’s domestic ivory legislation in combatting the concerns that CITES sought to address and evaluates whether such legislative mechanisms are proportionate in their objectives and outcomes. As such the main argument of this discourse will propose that not all the observed effects of new ivory legislation can be justified when alternative, more effective measures could be implemented, which do not necessitate a total prohibition on the trade of ivory.