IVORY INITIATIVE

The Ivory Initiative (2018-2022) focused on closing legal ivory markets in Asia and reducing demand among Chinese consumers through policy engagement and behavioral science. The initiative achieved significant reductions in ivory availability in China, with physical outlets dropping by 86% and online adverts by 86% by 2021. It successfully advocated for bans in Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan PoC, and Singapore, while strengthening laws in Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Demand reduction efforts, including the #TravelIvoryFree campaign, saw the proportion of Chinese consumers intending to buy ivory fall by nearly half between 2017 and 2021. The report concludes that these efforts contributed to a decline in African elephant poaching, with the Proportion of Illegally Killed Elephants (PIKE) in 2021 reaching its lowest level since 2003.

• The Ivory Initiative achieved substantial reductions in the availability of ivory in China by 2021, with an 86% reduction in physical outlets selling ivory per market surveyed and an 86% reduction in new ivory product adverts on online platforms compared to 2017 baselines.
• The initiative successfully advocated for the closure of legal ivory markets in Mainland China (2017), Taiwan PoC (2020), Hong Kong SAR (2021), and Singapore (2021), though regulated domestic markets persist in Thailand and Japan.
• Several Southeast Asian countries strengthened their legal frameworks against ivory trade between 2017 and 2019: Laos implemented CITES and existing laws in 2018; Myanmar revised wildlife protection laws in 2018; Thailand updated the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act B.E. 2562 in late 2019; Viet Nam updated its penal code in 2017; and Cambodia protected African elephants in 2018.
• Consumer demand in China decreased significantly, with the percentage of citizens intending to buy ivory in the future falling from a 2017 baseline to 49% in 2021, while those fully supporting the ban rose to 73%.
• The #TravelIvoryFree campaign used precision targeting and geolocated social media ads to reach Chinese travelers; it resulted in 7.8 million online pledges and reduced the proportion of regular overseas travelers intending to buy ivory from 58% in 2018 to 43% in 2021.
• The initiative's efforts are linked to a broader decline in African elephant poaching, with the estimated Proportion of Illegally Killed Elephants (PIKE) in Africa in 2021 reaching its lowest level since 2003.

APA

WWF International (2022). IVORY INITIATIVE. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/594/45k0oawb9c_elephant_ivory_initiative_report_2018_2022.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. IVORY INITIATIVE. 2022. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/594/45k0oawb9c_elephant_ivory_initiative_report_2018_2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=IVORY INITIATIVE |date=October 2022 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/594/45k0oawb9c_elephant_ivory_initiative_report_2018_2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2022ivory, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{IVORY INITIATIVE}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2022}, month = oct, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/594/45k0oawb9c_elephant_ivory_initiative_report_2018_2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }