Illegal ivory in containers at Cat Lai Port in HCM City. (Photo: VNA)
HCM City, (VNS/VNA) - Illegal ivory is widely available at physicaland online retail outlets throughout Vietnam, according to a new TRAFFIC reportpublished with support from USAID.
The study, “From tusk to trinket: persistent illegal ivory markets in Vietnam,”documents surveys recently carried out at 852 retail outlets in 13 locationsand 60 individual sellers on 17 online platforms.
Although selling ivory is illegal in Vietnam, researchers found more than10,500 items for sale, demonstrating the persistence of the ivory retailmarket.
But the report also found that retailers are often transitory.
Although ivory was found in all 13 locations, its sale appeared to highlytransitory in nature: repeat visits found that 43 percent of retail outletsobserved with ivory had only just began to sell, stopped selling or simplyclosed over the course of the survey. The comparable figure for onlineretailers was 86 percent.
There are clear links between Vietnam’s physical ivory markets and onlineoutlets, the report said.
The survey found retail outlets expanding their networks to sell ivory itemsonline and vice versa.
In eight instances, online sellers were either linked to physical stores orphysical stores were also selling their items on social media websites,e-commerce websites or online forums.
Tourists, particularly from China, are significant buyers.
Chinese nationals were reported as buyers by multiple sellers, and touristvillages emerged as particularly significant retailers of ivory.
Prices were sometimes quoted in currencies like the Chinese yuan and US dollar.
Ivory jewellery and pendants comprise the vast majority of ivory items beingsold. Jewellery items accounted for over 90 per cent of all the ivory itemsfound online and in physical outlets.
Jewellery products tend to be smaller in size, which makes them easier tostore, carry, transport or deliver, likely making them popular with buyers inboth physical and online markets.
“Though retailers know that selling ivory is illegal, it does not deter themfrom offering it openly for sale in Vietnam,” Sarah Ferguson, Director ofTRAFFIC in Vietnam, said.
“Regulatory and enforcement efforts must catch up to the markets, or theVietnamese illegal ivory market will remain one of the largest in the world.”\
Sellers consistently reported Vietnam as the origin of the ivory for sale,however, this is highly unlikely given the overwhelming majority of ivoryseized in the country is from African elephants and fewer than 100 wild Asianelephants exist in Vietnam.
Around 20,000 African elephants are poached each year for their tusks, whichare mostly trafficked to Asia to meet the ivory demand.
To reduce and eliminate Vietnam’s illicit ivory markets, the report offers anumber of recommendations to the Vietnamese Government, conservation groups andthe wider stakeholder community.
They include closing legislative loopholes, boosting enforcement capacity andincreasing deterrents against criminal activity, restricting the marketavailability of ivory, reducing consumer demand for ivory, and continuing tomonitor market trends.
In 2013, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of WildFauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat told Vietnam to prepare a National IvoryAction Plan as part of its international responsibility under the convention toaddress the illegal ivory trade and curtail the associated poaching ofelephants.
The plan included activities addressing regulations, corruption and ivorystockpile management among other things.
“Until Vietnam takes decisive actions against its persistent illegal ivorymarkets in line with its commitments under CITES, it will continue to underminethe international response to the elephant poaching crisis,” Minh Nguyen,research and data management officer at TRAFFIC, said.-VNS/VNA
The study, “From tusk to trinket: persistent illegal ivory markets in Vietnam,”documents surveys recently carried out at 852 retail outlets in 13 locationsand 60 individual sellers on 17 online platforms.
Although selling ivory is illegal in Vietnam, researchers found more than10,500 items for sale, demonstrating the persistence of the ivory retailmarket.
But the report also found that retailers are often transitory.
Although ivory was found in all 13 locations, its sale appeared to highlytransitory in nature: repeat visits found that 43 percent of retail outletsobserved with ivory had only just began to sell, stopped selling or simplyclosed over the course of the survey. The comparable figure for onlineretailers was 86 percent.
There are clear links between Vietnam’s physical ivory markets and onlineoutlets, the report said.
The survey found retail outlets expanding their networks to sell ivory itemsonline and vice versa.
In eight instances, online sellers were either linked to physical stores orphysical stores were also selling their items on social media websites,e-commerce websites or online forums.
Tourists, particularly from China, are significant buyers.
Chinese nationals were reported as buyers by multiple sellers, and touristvillages emerged as particularly significant retailers of ivory.
Prices were sometimes quoted in currencies like the Chinese yuan and US dollar.
Ivory jewellery and pendants comprise the vast majority of ivory items beingsold. Jewellery items accounted for over 90 per cent of all the ivory itemsfound online and in physical outlets.
Jewellery products tend to be smaller in size, which makes them easier tostore, carry, transport or deliver, likely making them popular with buyers inboth physical and online markets.
“Though retailers know that selling ivory is illegal, it does not deter themfrom offering it openly for sale in Vietnam,” Sarah Ferguson, Director ofTRAFFIC in Vietnam, said.
“Regulatory and enforcement efforts must catch up to the markets, or theVietnamese illegal ivory market will remain one of the largest in the world.”\
Sellers consistently reported Vietnam as the origin of the ivory for sale,however, this is highly unlikely given the overwhelming majority of ivoryseized in the country is from African elephants and fewer than 100 wild Asianelephants exist in Vietnam.
Around 20,000 African elephants are poached each year for their tusks, whichare mostly trafficked to Asia to meet the ivory demand.
To reduce and eliminate Vietnam’s illicit ivory markets, the report offers anumber of recommendations to the Vietnamese Government, conservation groups andthe wider stakeholder community.
They include closing legislative loopholes, boosting enforcement capacity andincreasing deterrents against criminal activity, restricting the marketavailability of ivory, reducing consumer demand for ivory, and continuing tomonitor market trends.
In 2013, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of WildFauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat told Vietnam to prepare a National IvoryAction Plan as part of its international responsibility under the convention toaddress the illegal ivory trade and curtail the associated poaching ofelephants.
The plan included activities addressing regulations, corruption and ivorystockpile management among other things.
“Until Vietnam takes decisive actions against its persistent illegal ivorymarkets in line with its commitments under CITES, it will continue to underminethe international response to the elephant poaching crisis,” Minh Nguyen,research and data management officer at TRAFFIC, said.-VNS/VNA
VNA
