In 1989, an extensive two-year investigation by our team unveiled the intricate workings of the illegal ivory trade. The exposé boldly identified key dealers, their associated companies, the nations in which they operated, and the covert routes employed to smuggle poached ivory.
Our investigative efforts extended to the United Arab Emirates, where Chinese entrepreneurs from Hong Kong had established ivory factories dedicated to carving poached tusks illegally sourced from Africa. Undercover operations enabled our team to discreetly film one such ivory factory in Dubai, providing compelling evidence that detailed the substantial volumes of poached ivory imported into the UAE.
In May 1989, we brought our findings to the public through an exclusive three-part news bulletin series aired on ITN in the UK.
The impact was swift and decisive. Within a mere four weeks of launching our campaign to safeguard African elephants, the United Kingdom, United States, and a significant portion of Europe announced immediate import bans on African elephant ivory.
Several months later, at the October 1989 meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a momentous decision was reached. An international ban on the trade of African elephant ivory was unanimously agreed upon, receiving support from 76 nations, with only 11 in opposition.
Reflecting on the historic decision, Mary Rice, Executive Director and Head of Elephant Campaign at the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), remarked, “The 1989 ban on international commercial trade in ivory has been instrumental in providing African elephants with a fighting chance for survival and to recover from decades of poaching, which continues to threaten elephants to this day. EIA’s groundbreaking investigations, such as the one that led to the 1989 ban, ensure that we continue to maintain the ban despite the efforts of the pro-trade lobby, and we will persist in our endeavors to secure a future for elephants in the wild.”