One fifth of Africa’s elephants could be poached in the next decade, activists say

Thirty countries including China, the world’s biggest market for illegal ivory, have agreed to define the trade of elephant tusks as a serious crime and to co-ordinate their efforts to try to stem the killing of thousands of the animals.

The deal was secured at a summit in Botswana and signed by African countries which are home to elephants, so-called transit states such as Vietnam, and countries which import illegal ivory, including China. The Chinese buy 70 per cent of the world’s illegal ivory.

The agreement makes the buying or selling of ivory a serious crime, therefore subject to longer prison sentences, and enforceable under international law. Delegates at the African Elephant Summit also agreed to share intelligence to help with asset seizure, confiscation and