Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/04/03
By: Yang Shu-min and Elizabeth Hsu
Taipei, April 3 (CNA) The Forestry Bureau announced Tuesday that it is working to revise
Photo courtesy of the Forestry Bureau
regulations concerning wildlife conservation so that a solid ban can be put into force in 2020 against trade in ivory in Taiwan.
The only exception to the ban is that individuals will be allowed to keep ivory only if they possess documentation that proves the products have been legally acquired, the bureau said in a statement.
Taiwan imposed amendments to the Wildlife Conservation Act in 1994 that prohibit trade and public display of ivory unless in recognized special circumstances, said Hsia Jung-sheng (夏榮生), head of the bureau’s conservation division.
At that time, however, in the light of the fact that there were still many local art dealers and seal makers dependent on ivory and who kept a lot of stock, the government took transitional measures to allow trade in declared ivory with the permission of the supervisory authorities, Hsia noted. [FULL STORY]