Recently both China and France followed Gabon's example and made headlines by burning several tonnes of confiscated ivory.
(see China’s first ‘ivory crush’ signals it may join global push to protect African elephants and En images : 698 défenses d'éléphants réduites en poussière à Paris). This week the UK government is holding an international conference on wildlife crime in London. Gathering together global leaders, including the President of Gabon, it aims to achieve high level political commitment to tackle the illegal wildlife trade. ANPN will be present at the conference, and new initiatives we're undertaking on the ground to fight ivory trafficking will be unveiled. ANPN has recently partnered with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and the TRACE Wildlife Forensic Network to develop genetic tools to trace seized ivory to Gabon's poached elephants. TRACE is an international NGO that provides support to governments, scientists and law enforcement agencies in the use of wildlife forensic techniques for tackling wildlife crime. By building international links, and in country capacity to collect, store and process genetic samples, this project will be a pioneering use of applied science for tackling wildlife crime in Gabon.
See the following press articles:
Edinburgh scientists use elephant DNA in poacher fight
Scots scientists battle poachers,
Wildlife CSI Techniques to Protect African Forest Elephants
There is also a very interesting article in the UK's The Telegraph last week about ANPN and Gabon's fight against ivory trafficking: One man's war on the ivory poachers of Gabon.
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