New Zealand's ivory trade doubled since 2016 - Jane Goodall Institute

The survey has found huge growth in the ivory industry since 2016. Photo credit: Getty

NZ's ivory trade has doubled in size since 2016, the Jane Goodall Institute for New Zealand says.

The institute's ambassador and environmental policy analyst Fiona Gordon said a recent 10-month survey found a huge growth since she initially studied the size of the industry in 2016.

"Ivory is still freely traded within New Zealand and it's a practice now grossly out of step with the rest of the world," she said.

The Government is currently looking at regulating the ivory trade to ensure it is not "detrimental to the survival of species in the wild", Radio New Zealand reports.

"New Zealand's domestic market for ivory is thought to be small but the domestic sale of elephant ivory items is not currently regulated", Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage told RNZ.

Jane Goodall Institute founder and chief executive Melanie Vivian said the ivory trade is dangerous for animals, people and the environment.

"Each year more than 100 wildlife rangers are killed protecting these animals, and the ivory trade fuels crime, corruption and violence, undermining governance and fragile democracies, and financing criminal organisations."

Newshub.

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