Secure Management of Ivory
Stockpiles of ivory, and other wildlife products, accrue from carcasses found in the wild or seized from poachers and traffickers. The storage and management of these objects is often woefully inadequate – enabling theft, or the neglect of evidence that is essential to securing wildlife crime prosecutions.
The leakage of ivory back into the illegal market, and the weak enforcement of wildlife protection laws, perpetuate the ivory trade and the continued slaughter of elephants. The EPI Foundation is working with EPI members and other African countries to mitigate these risks and secure Africa's ivory.
Stockpile Management System (SMS)
The EPI Foundation developed the Stockpile Management System (SMS), in partnership with conservation, audit and technology experts, to carry out inventories of ivory, rhino horn and other wildlife products held in government custody. Deployed across the majority of EPI member countries, the SMS is an essential tool in efforts to address the illegal wildlife trade across Africa and has been validated as a reporting tool by CITES.
Gold Standards for the Management of Ivory & Other Wildlife Products
Ensuring that accurate inventories and audits of government stockpiles are possible, as well as keeping ivory out of the illegal wildlife trade, requires robust infrastructure and procedures. The EPI Foundation developed the Gold Standards, in partnership with conservation, security and built environment experts, to ensure that wildlife products are securely stored and transported, in line with CITES requirements.
