Lifting ivory ban won't solve elephant poaching problem

(Cell Press) The deaths of many thousands of elephants at the hands of poachers in recent years has led some to conclude that the ban on ivory established in 1989 should be lifted, allowing for tight regulation of the ivory trade. But, according to a new analysis reported in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on Sept. 15, there is no way to sustainably harvest ivory. The demand is far too great.