By Angelina Liang

Opinion Editor

On Apr. 3, the British government announced the upcoming integration of a strict ivory ban in the United Kingdom.

According to National Geographic, the African elephant population has been steadily decreasing by 7 percent every year since 2013. Roughly 20,000 elephants are killed by poachers annually, per the British Broadcasting Corporation.

London’s Environmental Investigation Agency found that Europe has the largest legal ivory market and because of this, support for the underground trade is provided through access to documents that make poached or laundered ivory seem legitimized.

By instilling stronger punishments against ivory trade, the UK hopes to push the European Union to address the issue. Violations of the ban in the country are now punishable with unlimited fines or up to five years in prison.

This punishment is the harshest in the world, and exceptions to the rule are slim. Only items made before 1947 with 10 percent ivory, instruments made before 1975 with 20 percent ivory, antiques over 100 years old, or artifacts traded between museums are allowed to be traded. In addition, all of these items must be examined by a specialist before entering the market.

Although the ban has yet to be passed, the UK’s Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs found that it is supported by more than 88 percent of the population. The proposal is currently under a 12 week consultation period in which legislation for the bill will be drafted and reviewed. With consultation set to end Dec. 29, the British government is hopeful that an ivory ban bill will be put in place in early 2019.

In January, the Chinese government, the UK’s biggest ivory trade partner, announced a plan to minimize their domestic ivory market with their own ivory ban. Conservationists are hoping that the ban will encourage more countries to follow suit and install strict ivory bans on a global level.