The elephant in the room : tracking the legal history of Ivory in South Africa to the 2000s

Abstract

The poaching of elephants and trade in both legal and illegal ivory is a complex topic which is ever present in wildlife conservation discussions. This dissertation presents a historical overview of the legal history of the South African ivory trade and ivory poaching. The majority of the research on the topic has tended to look at the economic aspect as being the root cause of the ivory trade. However, this dissertation has argued that it is as much a social and political dilemma. The study considers the origin and development of certain pieces of legislation, which were promulgated to regulate activity related to wildlife and its consumption and focuses on South Africa’s failed legal measures in addressing elephant poaching and the ivory trade. While this dissertation focuses on the ivory trade and elephant poaching, it also draws attention to the fact that South Africa’s environmental and conservation laws are insufficient. G