Selections On Elephant Laws Reports Examples

There are laws in place to protect the environment internationally and when it comes to the majestic elephant it is a top priority and ideal example of these laws and protections. The protection the elephants require to ensure there continued existence is safety from poaching and criminal sales of their valuable ivory that is made from there tusks mainly posed by persons involved in organized crime groups. “the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna which was introduced in 1933”(Peel) is one part of many combined efforts that addresses new dangers to elephants that are now being noticed by researchers as being at serious risk of becoming endangered due to the rapid decrease in their numbers. One of the things that are being done to prevent this extinction is regulating hunting in efforts to stop the illegal poaching that sought only to gather ivory from the elephants. Since this piece of protection was implemented there have been several contrasting changes made to laws that require UN action addressing the need for these to be used together if there is to be success. Peace when considering the integration of laws on poaching is another issue specifically focusing people and ensuring the ultimate survival of this species while peace among the people in the community. The last consideration is to establish a new agreement that will completely end the trade of the ivory that is taken from this endangered species. One idea that has been proposed is that the new treaty proposal should focus on the organized crime that is becoming such a huge part of the problem rather than following the older treaty that was engineered mostly toward the environmental aspect of the issue.

How big is the problem?

How do poaching and trafficking impact peace
Peace in Africa has been a major concern since the late 90’s because there has been a civil war between two large African territories over some of the natural resources including ivory. There has been unrest mainly because of the lack of laws and punishment resulting in none of the necessary order for peace. Many human rights have become an issue because of this serious concern and the UN has been struggling to find a viable solution. One solution that has been proposed is to enlist sanctions to people that are poaching the wildlife, mainly elephants who are poached for their valuable tusks and trafficked illegally. By implementing these sanctions the government agencies enforcing this will have the opportunity to also take away funding from organized rebel groups that use the money to fund their terrorism, restoring peace to Africa. These unruly acts pertain mainly to the region however it is a concern of the UN that if there is not something done the rebels will begin to inflict terrorist activities outside the states as a result of the income they earn from the illegal acts that are going unpunished. The Security Council has plans to extend their laws as well focusing on the risk of expansion of terrorism and safety of people and animals by zeroing in on imports as well as exports to prevent illegal misuse of these services to handle natural and living resources in Africa (Peters). Emphasizing on the targeted terrorism potential in an attempt to protect human security (anthropocentric approach) is highly beneficial to human and elephant protection as well as an overall peace for the entire lineup of species in the world.

What is being done now to make a change?

Raising awareness of this issue and the serious concerns that come with the mass killings of elephants has made finding an effective solution an immediate topic of concern that is being addressed internationally. The world organizations in place to protect this type of thing from happening have made an impact with the treaties they have in place however it has not made a significant difference yet. With this not going unnoticed there have been continuous changes made to the treaties over time to try to improve on existing laws in an attempt to put an end to the cruel punishment being inflicted on the elephants as well as stop the rebels who are becoming a concern from earning money to fund their reign of terror. The recognition of poaching as a threat goes back to the colonial times when western power players recognized the import of elephants having provisions and protections from poachers. This is when the first restrictions were put into place which restricted hunting elephants that who’s tusks weighed less than eleven pounds which still allowed hunting with protection provisions to ensure that young elephants were not killed however it was not enough to keep them safe and the problem has only continued to escalate to extremes that could not have been predicted in 1933 (Nollkaemper). Since then the provision has been modified to protect the entire elephant empire as they face possible extinction in the near future.

Conclusion

Elephant poaching has long been a concern for some however with the species facing extinction it has now become a global problem. The laws that are in place to protect this species are set up to accomplish this and put an end to funding terrorism in Africa that could potentially become a world threat. If something is not done soon that will make a significant impact on the current laws there will be a significant environmental impact on everyone in the world as would the elimination of any species making it a major concern. In an attempt to move forward combined institutions are looking to make a significant impact on the threat by putting their ideas together to form laws that will work for everyone. This unified movement is only missing one key participant and that is the United Nations which will soon surely take a stand against the serious offense of animal poaching and trafficking which is negatively affecting the livelihood of elephants in the world.

Works Cited

BENNETT, ELIZABETH L., and Rachelle Adams. 'Legal Ivory Trade In A Corrupt World And Its Impact On African Elephant Populations'. Conservation Biology (2014): n/a-n/a. Web. 8 Jan. 2015.
Nollkaemper, Andre. 'Aligning Frames For Elephant Extinction: Towards A New Role For The United Nations | ASIL'. Asil.org. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 Jan. 2015.
Peel, Jacqueline. 'Introduction To The AJIL Unbound Symposium On Elephant Law | ASIL'. Asil.org. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 Jan. 2015.
Peters, Anne. 'Elephant Poaching And Ivory Trafficking As A Threat To The Peace | ASIL'. Asil.org. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 Jan. 2015.