Ivory: Power and Poaching in Africa

by Keith Somerville

Half of Tanzania's elephants have been killed for their ivory since 2007. A similar alarming story can be told of the herds in northern Mozambique and across swathes of central Africa, with forest elephants losing almost two-thirds of their numbers to the tusk trade. The huge rise in poaching
and ivory smuggling in the new millennium has destroyed the hope that the 1989 ivory trade ban had capped poaching and would lead to a long-term fall in demand. But why the new upsurge? The answer is not simple. Since ancient times, large-scale killing of elephants for their tusks has been driven by
demand outside Africa's elephant ranges - from the Egyptian pharaohs through Imperial Rome and industrialising Europe and North America to the new wealthy business class of China. And, who poaches and why do they do it? In recent years lurid press reports have blamed mass poaching on rebel movements
and armed militias, especially Somalia's Al Shabaab, tying two together two evils - poaching and terrorism. But does this account stand up to scrutiny? This new and ground-breaking examination of the history and politics of ivory in Africa forensically examines why poaching happens in Africa and why
it is corruption, crime and politics, rather than insurgency, that we should worry about.

Genres: Africa, History, Animals, Conservation, Nature

390 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Becky Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Minor gripe with the alternate self-reference of I/me vs “the author”, but that aside, this was a solid read about why poaching occurs, and the role of conservation efforts in perpetuating the practice. He presents an array of views on the matter, and methods tried to address the decline of African elephants. Best of all he writes very near to present day. Only a few of his final points have been completed or progressed.

Read this now.

[Marianela · Rating 4 out of 5]

literalmente he hecho copypaste de todo para mi tesy. se q a nadie le importa pero esta bastante interesante una historia sobre el ivory trade con enfoque anticolonial q POCO se ve en la ciencia, los medios de comunicacion, etc
os hare un ppt de mi tesis
pero vaya una complejidad historia que no se puede negar a la hora de "el problema de la caza furtiva". interesante el dilema poaching/hunting.

[Kínúthia Kínyanjui · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I did enjoy reading the book, as a Kenyan, I did pick on alot of inaccuracies. NRT is the worst thing to happen to the locals of Northern Kenya. If you're keen on learning about the effects of westerners interference with local conservation, I'd recommend reading 'The Big Conservation Lie' by Dr. Mordecai Ogada (Kenyan ecologist) and John Mbaria (award winning journalist).

In Afrika we say, 'Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter.'. And this book is a perfect example of the hunter telling the story.