| African elephant (Loxodonta africana) | Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) |
 African elephant populations (with the exception of the populations of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe) are included in CITES Appendix I.
The African elephant populations of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are included in CITES Appendix II. The Appendix II-listings are subject to an annotation that specify the specimens that the four range States can export. Loxodonta africana is listed as Vulnerable on the
 IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. |
 Asian elephants are listed in Appendix I of the Convention.The species was included in Appendix I from 1975 when CITES entered into force.
Elephas maximus is listed as Endangered on the
IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. |
Resolutions
Definition of the term ‘appropriate and acceptable destinations’
Implementation of Article VII, paragraph 2, concerning ‘pre-Convention’ specimens
Disposal of illegally traded and confiscated specimens of CITES-listed species
Decisions
Notifications
China – Continued measures to ban the import of elephant tusks and their products
Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS): questionnaire on data collection
Elephant ivory stocks: marking, inventories and security
Reservations with reference to the amendments to Appendices I and II of the Convention and related communications
Programming codes in the ETIS analysis and PIKE trend analysis for CoP18
Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE)
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Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme is a site-based system designed to monitor trends in the illegal killing of African and Asian elephants; build management capacity; and provide information to help range States and the CITES community make appropriate management and enforcement decisions. |
Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS)
 The Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) monitors and analyzes trends in illegal trade in elephant specimens, including ivory. The ETIS report to each meeting of the Conference of the Parties is the foundation for identifying Parties to participate in the National Ivory Action Plan (NIAP) Process. |
National Ivory Action Plan Process
A CITES national ivory action plan (NIAP) is a practical tool of the Convention that is being used by a number of Parties to strengthen their controls of the trade in ivory and ivory markets and help combat the illegal trade in ivory
NIAPs are developed in compliance with recommendations made by the CITES Standing Committee.
African Elephant Action Plan
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The African Elephant Action Plan was adopted by 32 African elephant Range States in the margins of CoP15 in 2010, and has the following goal: To secure and restore where possible sustainable elephant populations throughout their present and potential range in Africa, recognising their potential to provide ecological, social, cultural and economic benefits. The |
Tools and resources
- Annotation #2 - Understanding the Appendix II listing of the African elephant populations of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe
- African elephant database - Information relating to the status of African elephant populations (developed and maintained by the IUCN SSC African elephant Specialist Group)
- African elephant status report 2016 - Report on the elephant numbers at the continental, regional and national levels released by IUCN
- Identification Guide for Ivory and Ivory Substitutes - Resource for identifying the most commonly found ivories and artificial substitutes in trade
- International trade in live elephants - CITES Secretariat’s quick guide to CITES controls on international trade in live African elephants:
- Practical guidance for the management of ivory stockpiles - Best practices in ivory stockpile management
- Trade in live elephants
Ivory stockpiles
Paragraph 7 e) of Resolution Conf. 10.10 (Rev. CoP18) on Trade in elephant specimens urges certain Parties to annually declare details of their government-held ivory stockpiles and where possible, significant privately held stockpiles of ivory within their territory. The Parties who are urged to do this are Parties designated as ivory importing countries and those within whose jurisdiction:
- there is an ivory carving industry;
- there is a legal domestic trade in ivory;
- there is an unregulated market for or illegal trade in ivory; or
- ivory stockpiles exist.
These Parties are urged to maintain an inventory of government-held stockpiles of ivory and, where possible, of significant privately held stockpiles and inform the Secretariat of:
- the level of this stock annually;
- the number of pieces and their weight per type of ivory (raw or worked);
- (for relevant pieces, and if marked) their markings in accordance with the provisions of the Resolution;
- the source of the ivory; and
- the reasons for any significant changes in the stockpile compared to the preceding year.
Since November 2019, the Secretariat is requested to publish a regional summary of the weight of stocks declared every year.
In the exercise for 2020, a total of just over 620 tonnes of ivory stocks has been declared by 17 Parties. The regional summary of the weight of stocks declared in 2020 is available here. In the exercise for 2021, 796 tonnes of ivory stocks have been declared by 21 Parties. The regional summary of the weight of stocks declared as of 28 February 2021 is as follows:
2020 ivory stockpiles by region (in tons)
(declaration as of 28/02/2021)
African elephant meetings
- Regional Meeting of the CITES MIKE Programme, Nairobi (Kenya), 10 –11 September 2002
- First African elephant meeting, Mombasa, Kenya, 23-25 June 2008
- Second African elephant meeting, Gigiri, Kenya, 9-11 March 2009
- Third African elephant meeting, Gigiri, Kenya 1-3 November 2010
- Fourth African elephant meeting, Gigiri, Kenya 26-27 April 2012
- Fifth dialogue meeting of African elephant range States, Santiago (Chile), 29-31 October 2002
- Sixth dialogue meeting of African elephant range States, Bangkok (Thailand), 28-30 September 2004
- Seventh dialogue meeting of African elephant range States, The Hague (Netherlands), 30 May – 1 June 2007