IVORY MARKETS IN CENTRAL AFRICA

The report documents a general decline in open domestic ivory markets across Central Africa from 2007 to 2015, with trade shifting toward underground transactions and raw ivory exports to Asia, particularly China. While most cities saw a near total disappearance of displayed ivory, Kinshasa remained a significant hub. The decline is attributed to increased law enforcement, rising raw ivory prices driven by Asian demand, and crashing elephant populations. The report also highlights severe deficiencies in government stockpile management, with an estimated 56,497 kg of ivory leaking from state custody between 1990 and 2015.

• Open ivory markets in Central Africa have generally declined since 1999, with a near 100% decrease in displayed items in Bangui and Pointe Noire by 2014/2015.
• Kinshasa, DRC, is a major outlier in the region, accounting for 68% of the total weight of ivory products observed across the sub-region during the study period.
• The ivory trade is shifting from open retail of worked items to underground transactions focused on exporting raw ivory to Asia, specifically China.
• Chinese nationals have replaced European expatriates and tourists as the primary buyers of both raw and worked ivory in the region.
• Raw ivory prices increased significantly between 2007 and 2016 in all surveyed countries, with some increases reaching up to 60% in Pointe Noire, Congo.
• Elephant populations in Central Africa have suffered catastrophic losses, with a reported 62% decline between 2002 and 2011.
• Government-held ivory stockpiles are poorly managed and lack transparency, with a minimum estimate of 56,497 kg of ivory leaking from state custody between 1990 and 2015.
• High-ranking government, military, and judiciary officials in all five studied countries are reported to be involved in the ivory trade through bribery, logistics, or direct participation.
• Armed groups and rebels, including the Séléka in CAR and the LRA and FDLR in DRC, are actively involved in mass elephant slaughter and ivory trafficking to fund their activities.
• Domestic ivory trade is prohibited in Gabon, Congo, CAR, and DRC, but remains legal in Cameroon under specific permit conditions that are rarely followed.

APA

Christopher, S. N., LAGROT, J.-F., RINGUET, S., & MILLIKEN, T. (2017). IVORY MARKETS IN CENTRAL AFRICA. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/458/7qhrlzw7jp_Ivory_Markets_Central_Africa_Report_FINAL.pdf

Chicago

Christopher, Sone NKOKE, Jean-François LAGROT, Stéphane RINGUET, and Tom MILLIKEN. IVORY MARKETS IN CENTRAL AFRICA. WWF International, 2017. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/458/7qhrlzw7jp_Ivory_Markets_Central_Africa_Report_FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Christopher |first1=Sone NKOKE |last2=LAGROT |first2=Jean-François |last3=RINGUET |first3=Stéphane |last4=MILLIKEN |first4=Tom |title=IVORY MARKETS IN CENTRAL AFRICA |publisher=WWF International |date=September 2017 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/458/7qhrlzw7jp_Ivory_Markets_Central_Africa_Report_FINAL.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{christopher2017ivory, author = {Christopher, Sone NKOKE and LAGROT, Jean-François and RINGUET, Stéphane and MILLIKEN, Tom}, title = {{IVORY MARKETS IN CENTRAL AFRICA}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2017}, month = sep, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/458/7qhrlzw7jp_Ivory_Markets_Central_Africa_Report_FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }