The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation partners with WWF China to launch the “Stop Buying Ivory” campaign

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With around 30,000 elephants being poached for their tusks each year, WWF and TRAFFIC (the wildlife trade monitoring network) have today launched a major campaign to convince Chinese citizens to “Stop Buying Ivory”. The launch took place at the Salon Monaco in Beijing, with the support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. The campaign is also backed by the government, which is planning to ban the ivory trade in China. 

Officially launched at an exhibition on endangered species organized by the Embassy of Monaco in China and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the “Stop Buying Ivory” campaign will use traditional media and social networks – which are immensely powerful in China – to spread its message. Its aim is to dissuade people from buying ivory and to raise awareness about the plight of African elephants and international efforts to protect them.   

The campaign will also build support for the government’s decision to bring an end to the domestic ivory trade – a policy confirmed by President Xi Jinping during his official visit to Washington in September 2015. The United States government has already imposed an almost total ban on its domestic ivory market after new regulations came into force on 6 July. 

“China and the US have demonstrated remarkable leadership by deciding to close their domestic ivory markets, and these decisions will step up the general momentum to save the world of elephants,” said Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International. “WWF and TRAFFIC’s campaign comes at a key moment to build support for the swift implementation of the ban in China, and by the same token, to reduce poaching which threatens Africa’s elephants.” 

The campaign will call on people to make a public commitment to stop buying ivory and will ask them to spread the word on social networks to encourage others to do the same. People will also be urged to link their index fingers to show their support for the campaign, reflecting the manner in which elephants link their trunks. The officials present at the launch event all participated in this symbolic gesture. 

“This campaign will build on the innovative work that TRAFFIC and WWF have already been doing in China to change consumer behaviour and reduce demand for ivory,” said Dr Lin Li, Executive Director of Programmes at WWF China. 

The campaign comes less than three months before the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) conference in Johannesburg when parties, including China, will discuss a range of issues relating to elephants. The Chinese government is expected to publish its timetable to shut down its domestic ivory trade before the end of this year.