VALUES, CULTURE AND THE IVORY TRADE BAN

This research paper examines the conflict between international regulatory norms, such as the CITES ivory trade ban, and the diverse local values held by communities in elephant range states and consumer markets. Using Cameroon's Congo River basin and Southern African states as primary examples, the authors argue that ignoring local societal values and the impacts of globalisation can lead to adverse reactions, undermining long-term conservation goals.

• The effectiveness of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora (CITES) is limited because it focuses narrowly on transnational trade, whereas elephant poaching is driven by a complex array of historical, cultural, and psychological factors.
• Globalisation has amplified the perception of ivory as a symbol of wealth and status, particularly through the emergence of a large Chinese middle class capable of purchasing ivory products, which has significantly worsened poaching.
• In south-eastern Cameroon, the value of elephants has shifted from pre-colonial collective ritual use to colonial commodification, and later to a contradictory state where elephants are simultaneously valued as icons for international donor funding and as clandestine sources of individual profit.
• Conservation efforts in Cameroon, led by the WWF and MINFOF, have created animosity among local populations by criminalising subsistence hunting and failing to protect local gardens from elephant raids, leading to a perception that external agents value elephants more than local people.
• In Southern Africa, states like Namibia and Zimbabwe advocate for 'sustainable use' policies, arguing that wildlife must provide material benefits to local communities to ensure its conservation, and have petitioned CITES to allow the sale of naturally accruing ivory stockpiles.
• The ban on hunting in Botswana has removed previous sources of revenue, employment, and bush meat for local communities, increasing human-elephant conflict and risking a resurgence of illegal harvesting due to historical resentment toward colonial-era national parks.
• The international ivory trade ban may fail if it continues to alienate the countries and communities that house the largest remaining elephant populations, specifically Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

APA

Wu, Y.-S., Rupp, S., & Alden, C. (2016). VALUES, CULTURE AND THE IVORY TRADE BAN. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Occasional-Paper-244.pdf

Chicago

Wu, Yu-Shan, Stephanie Rupp, and Chris Alden. VALUES, CULTURE AND THE IVORY TRADE BAN. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2016. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Occasional-Paper-244.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wu |first1=Yu-Shan |last2=Rupp |first2=Stephanie |last3=Alden |first3=Chris |title=VALUES, CULTURE AND THE IVORY TRADE BAN |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=September 2016 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Occasional-Paper-244.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wu2016values, author = {Wu, Yu-Shan and Rupp, Stephanie and Alden, Chris}, title = {{VALUES, CULTURE AND THE IVORY TRADE BAN}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2016}, month = sep, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Occasional-Paper-244.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }