The illegal trade in ivory continues, but at a significantly lower level than at its peak ten years ago. Some of the illegally traded ivory has been stolen from stockpiles, or long-held, rather than from freshly poached ivory. While there are worrying reports of an increase in ivory prices, they are still much lower than they were at the poaching peak.
Major seizures included 1.6 tons in Vietnam in March and 4.8 tons in Mozambique in the same month. The Vietnam shipment, originating in Nigeria, was concealed among cow horns. With assistance from ECF grantee Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), Nigerian authorities swiftly arrested two suspects involved in this case.
Due to stronger law enforcement in Nigeria and the efforts of ECF partners like WJC, Focused Conservation, and the Environmental Investigation Agency, trafficking routes appear to be shifting to countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, and Mozambique.
In addition, traffickers have become more cautious out of fear of arrest, which has made their operations more difficult to sustain. In the words of one trafficker in February 2024, “You know this business is not like before and people are really after us.”
The struggle to keep members of the Lin-Zhang Wang transnational organized crime network behind bars continues. Based in Malawi, this network has been one of Africa’s most notorious trafficking networks since 1994, exporting tens of tons of wildlife products and linked to serious crime, including corruption, child prostitution, kidnapping, and murder.
Lin Yunhua, the group’s leader, was sentenced to 14 years behind bars in 2019, alongside ten Chinese and four Malawian nationals. Lin has persistently attempted to leave prison and is facing charges of corrupting prison officials and bribing judges, all whilst allegedly attempting to seek a presidential pardon.
These efforts have been thwarted through constant vigilance from our partners in Malawi. Lin’s wife was also nearly released from prison in May, in order to flee back to China, but this was uncovered, and her case was referred to a judicial review while she remains in prison.