Aim of the Act
The aim of the Act is to help conserve elephant populations, specifically by reducing poaching, through significantly limiting the legal market for ivory items in the UK. This is intended to reduce demand for ivory both within the UK and overseas through the application of the sales ban to re-exports of ivory items from the UK. This aim is in line with the 2017 Conservative Manifesto commitment to "protect[ing] rare species".1
	The Act also aims to remove the opportunity to launder recently poached ivory as old ivory items through legal markets, and for it to be re-exported to "demand" markets, i.e. those markets where ivory continues to be a desirable commodity. Such markets are also the primary destinations for newly poached and illegally-sourced ivory. This is intended to prevent products from the UK contributing, including inadvertently, to markets which create a demand for ivory, driving poaching and the illegal trade in ivory. Finally, the ivory ban will demonstrate the UK does not consider commercial activities in any ivory that could fuel poaching to be acceptable and it sends a message that similar actions should be taken globally.
	The previous Government had announced it was developing proposals for an ivory ban before the 2017 General Election, in keeping with the 2015 Conservative manifesto commitment to "press for a total ban on ivory sales"2 and the 2010 Conservative manifesto commitment to "press for a total ban on ivory sales and the destruction of existing stockpiles"3.
	At the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Resolution 10.10 (Rev COP17) on Trade in Elephant Specimens was agreed4. This non-binding resolution recommended that all Parties and non-Parties in whose jurisdiction there is a legal domestic market for ivory items that is contributing to poaching or illegal trade should take all necessary measures to close their domestic ivory markets as a matter of urgency. The resolution also recognised that narrow exemptions to this closure for some ivory items may be warranted, but that any exemptions should not contribute to poaching or illegal trade.
	The Government, through the Act, is addressing its domestic and international commitments by adopting a ban on commercial activities in ivory. Section 1 of the Act provides for this prohibition and defines commercial dealing as follows:
	buying, selling or hiring ivory;
	offering or arranging to buy, sell or hire ivory;
	keeping ivory for sale or hire;
	exporting ivory from the United Kingdom for sale or hire; or
	importing ivory into the United Kingdom for sale or hire.
	This definition is in line with the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations (see paragraph 11 of these Notes). The ivory ban will not affect ownership of items made of, or containing ivory, including, inheriting, donating or bequeathing.