On January 13, 2016, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mr Leung Chun-ying, announced in the New Year policy that the prohibition of the territory of ivory trade. Zhang Li, a professor of the Beijing Institute of Conservation Biology and a professor of the Beijing Normal University and an elephant expert, said that he hoped that the Chinese mainland should follow suit and implement the commitment of Xi Jinping to China to end the ivory trade.

Zhang Li recently in the "Nature" magazine author, that the Chinese government can use the way to buy redemption of domestic legal ivory stock. He told the Chinese and foreign dialogue, the acquisition cost about 80 million US dollars, "this method of law enforcement process is more simple, economical, and more efficient.

Chinese and foreign dialogue: Xi Jinping chairman of the ban on trade positions, China's domestic ivory trade has had a direct impact?

Zhang Li: the end of September last year, the President of the United States after the statement, has been on the domestic ivory market had an impact. On the Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou and other cities in the field survey shows that many ivory sales enterprises ivory products prices have decreased significantly. In addition, the relevant state departments have also formed a joint working group to Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Yangzhou and other places on-site research ivory carving and sales enterprises, and is developing a ban schedule.

Chinadialogue: Why do not you see China's timetable for cessation of ivory trade and related measures to implement banned trade? What time do you think of a full ban on trade?

Zhang Li: The purpose of China's current law is to protect the newly established market economy and does not allow the simple closure of the registration of legitimate ivory carving enterprises and distributors. China is also facing the issue of how to inherit the intangible cultural heritage of the country, and the legal existence of the Ivory legitimate market in China for a long time, and there is a certain degree of difficulty in the immediate ban on trade. However, if the delay in the introduction of specific anti-trade initiatives, it will give illegal ivory into the legitimate market to take advantage of the opportunity, but also may make Xi Jinping chairman's position dust. The whole ban the faster the better!

Chinadialogue: What is the difficulty of comprehensive trade ban? Is there any good solution?

Zhang Li: ban on trade must be to ivory to commercialization. It is the easiest way for the country to commercialize the stock by buying and buying the legal stockpile. It is also the strategy that the government should consider. The government repurchases all legal ivory stocks on the market and transfers them to the museum as appropriate. After the repurchase is completed, no longer allow any form of commercial ivory trade, all ivory products on the market are illegal. Dental carvings can still be displayed as artworks in museums, and can also be used as a teaching aids in schools, inheriting Chinese cultural heritage and promoting the importance of protecting endangered species.

Chinadialogue: How much money is needed to buy back?

Zhang Li: In 2009, imported enterprises from Africa to obtain the ivory inventory is about 150 US dollars per kilogram, and then open auction to the registered tooth carving business price is 1350 US dollars per kilogram, plus the period of inventory and management costs, the current per kilogram Probably priced at $ 2,100. In this way, the cost of repurchasing all legitimate ivory raw materials in China is about $ 84 million, and at the current market price, another $ 500 million is required to repurchase all ivory products. If you deduct 30-40% of the profit margins of enterprises, the cost of redemption repurchase will be lower.

The overall cost sounds very high, but the Chinese government often spend billions of dollars on the "Eco-compensation" project. For example, subsidies to farmers and land owners to stop the cultivation of barren land, to plant trees ("Returning Farmland to Forest", "Returning Farmland to Grass" project), local governments also have for ecological protection and ecosystem management funds. According to some estimates, China has spent more than $ 100 billion on such projects, and in this context, it is not a large number to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on the elimination of ivory consumption and the protection of endangered elephant species.

Chinadialogue: Are you mentioned in these countries for ecological compensation projects that protect and benefit from China itself, but is the Chinese government willing to spend huge sums on the protection of African elephants?

Zhang Li: A small number of illegal ivory trade and severe ivory smuggling have affected China's long-term investment and development strategy in Africa, affecting China's international image. Compared to Europe and the United States and other countries, China as a responsible emerging power, but also for Africa's environmental protection and wildlife protection and put more money. And thus the eradication of ivory and other endangered species of luxury consumption is also in line with the state to promote the construction of ecological civilization policy.

Chinese and foreign dialogue: China's total ban on ivory trade, illegal trade may be transferred to other countries?

Zhang Li: China and the United States after a comprehensive ban on trade, illegal trade may still exist for some time. But with the strengthening of domestic law enforcement in both countries, the banning of legitimate markets, illegal trade is bound to turn to other countries. So I have always believed that the ivory trade is not just a matter of China and the United States, the need for participation and support from other countries around the world. For African countries, the greater challenge now is due to poaching, rapid population growth caused by elephant habitat loss and other issues. If the international community can help Africa to get rid of the traditional non-sustainable economic growth model that seeks to develop its own natural resources and rely on the sale of natural resources, I do not think that any African country is willing to continue the ivory trade with the risk of elephant species extinction.

Chinadialogue: What is the difference between the United States and China, what does the US need to do?

Zhang Li: China's ivory ban on the main challenges from two aspects. First, there is still a large legal stock ivory, the second is the tooth sculpture is a part of China's traditional culture for thousands of years, tooth carving process is also China's intangible cultural heritage. Therefore, the Chinese ivory trade ban, it is necessary to take into account how to solve the legitimate carving and carving business transformation and replacement of life and support the problem, but also take into account the intangible cultural heritage how to pass the problem. While the United States did not have a big legal stock like China. CITES Convention in 2008 to allow China to buy 62 tons of legal ivory, after years of consumption, there is still a large legal stock). (CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), entered into force on 1 July 1975 as an international law governing the international trade in endangered species.

The problem with the United States is the large number of trophies hunting ivory imports and trade issues before the entry into force of the ivory trade. At present, the United States domestic ivory trade ban by gun associations and hunters and other organizations of the firm opposition, the implementation of the national ban on federal law even if adopted, can only prohibit the trade between the states, and the state of ivory trade still need to state To be prohibited by legislation. But the current US domestic ivory trading is more concentrated in New York, New Jersey and California have taken the lead in legislation that prohibits the entry into force after the entry of the ivory trade, allowing only the Convention before the antique ivory trade, which is an important step forward. But the two countries from the full ban on their domestic ivory trade is still difficult, long way to go.