Israeli Nature and Parks Authority imposes new regulations on ivory
The NPA will prohibit all trade in ivory and products resembling ivory, such as mammoth ivory.
By LEON SVERDLOVTwo elephant ivories retrieved by the Civil Administration at the Allenby Bridge crossing in October 18, 2018(photo credit: COGAT)
The Nature and Parks Authority will impose new regulations upon possession and distribution of ivory, in order to protect the endangered population of Elephants – it said Saturday in a press release.
The NPA, the organization responsible for wildlife protection in Israel, has announced that it would strengthen the regulations on ivory, in order to minimize the overall trade in ivory in Israel.
The new regulations, that would prohibit all trade in ivory while permitting the possession of ivory obtained before 1976, would take effect on January 1st 2021.
By imposing the new regulations Israel would join the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, joining other countries in protecting the endangered population of elephants and the fight against poaching.
According to the convention that makes a distinction between "old" and "new" ivory, with the defining dates being July 1, 1975 for Asian elephants, and February 26, 1976 for African elephants.Ivory trade supervision (photo credit: Israeli Nature and Parks Authority)
The NPA will prohibit all import, export, and overall trade in ivory and products resembling ivory, such as mammoth ivory.
NPA said will permit non-commercial import and export of ivory under "strictly limiting conditions," exclusively for research and education, and will issue "special permits" for trade in "small items" containing "old ivory."
According to the NPA, after January 1, 2021, "the public would be able to possess ivory and mammoth ivory under the condition that it had been obtained before the regulations were imposed."
