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Insatiable Appetite for Ivory |
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By Suvendrini Kakuchi*
There is a growing demand in Japan for jewelry, personal seals and other accessories made from the tusks of African elephants, which are in danger of extinction.
TOKYO - Japan's insatiable appetite for ivory products has come under renewed fire from environmentalists who are infuriated by a recent publicity campaign: companies selling items made from the tusks of endangered elephants launched a series of advertisements in the country's leading newspapers.
"Ivory seals (personal stamps) bring good luck," said an ad in the 'Mainichi Shinbun', a major daily, in mid-August. Under this headline, the advertiser, the Yamanashi Special Products Center, a wholesaler based in western Japan, presents photographs of an alluring display of personal seals, or 'hanko', one of the most popular ivory items in Japan.
Traditionally used to stamp names on official documents, ivory seals are especially popular among the elderly population, and their rare nature has made them a prized possession and sign of affluence. Wealthy grandparents, for example, buy ivory seals as graduation presents for their grandchildren.
"The advertisements for seals made from ivory indicate the market is still alive. We have to carefully monitor the situation,'' says Kumi Toyama, program officer for ivory at the Japan Wildlife Conservation Society, a non-governmental organization.
Price tags on the ivory seals sold by Yamanashi range from 10,000 to 30,000 yen (84 to 253 dollars) each. The advertisement, which includes an Internet address, also hawks cheaper seals made from the horns of water buffalo, at less than 10,000 yen each.
But ivory is also used to make other articles, such as jewelry, piano keys, hair accessories, and picks for playing a Japanese instrument known as the 'shamisen', which is shaped like a small banjo.
Recent surveys indicate that more and more ivory traders seem determined to boost their sales, particularly through special sections in magazines now being devoted to ivory accessories targeted a young women.
The appetite for ivory in Japan, the world's largest market for the material, is decimating the African elephant population, according to data from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), which indicate the giant mammal's numbers plummeted from 1.2 million in 1979 to 600,000 in 1989.
World trade in ivory was banned in 1989 under an international accord known as the Washington Convention, but two years ago, following intense pressure from the Japanese government, three countries in southern Africa (Zimbabwe, Botswana y Namibia) were allowed to sell 50 tons of elephant tusks to the Japan Ivory Association.
The shipment marked the first legal import since the ban that seeks to protect the endangered elephant population.
In a bid to keep the domestic ivory industry alive, the Japanese government has continued to lobby for a resumption of the trade and claims the need to protect traditional carving skills.
The Japanese government justifies the sale as a step towards sustainable trade in ivory. "The revenue (from the 50 tons of southern African ivory) was used for conservation of the elephants, such as the construction of watering places, and to beef up anti-poaching practices such as aiding in the development of communities adjacent to elephant habitats,'' said an official communiqué last year.
Officials defend the ivory trade by pointing out that the personal seals are made from legally traded ivory since traders register their activities with the government.
''We are not trying to kill elephants but only want to be able to pursue managed trade in tusks, '' said a government official who declined to be named.
Currently seals are sold with special permits attached to the product in a bid to ward off criticism.
But environmentalists are not satisfied, and point out that the labeling efforts are dubious because it remains difficult to discern for sure whether the ivory is legal or not.
Hideo Obara, professor emeritus of animal ecology at Kagawa Nutrition College, says Japan's stance only encourages poachers to continue to supply the Japanese industry, which in turn fosters demand among consumers.
In fact, a large shipment of smuggled ivory that was discovered last April by the Tokyo customs authorities, proof of the simmering demand, says IFAW's Toyama.
The illegal shipment came in from Singapore and was traced to Japan's Ivory Association, which later released a statement promising to tighten their surveillance operations in order to halt smuggling.
Environmentalists have long lobbied the government to enact new laws that ban the sale of ivory products, but to no avail. They argue that such laws would help raise public awareness about the effects of the ivory trade.
But Tomotsu Ishibashii, of the Japan Federation of Ivory Arts - comprised of 50 companies working in ivory in Tokyo and Osaka -, vehemently disagrees.
"With careful management, it is possible to protect the elephant as well as Japan's prized craftsmanship," he insists.
* Suvendrini Kakuchi is an IPS correspondent.
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