Out of Africa: Mapping the Global Trade in Illicit Elephant Ivory (2014)

This report focuses on the ivory supply chain and the trafficking of ivory from the bush in Africa to retail markets in Asia.

Main Findings:

• Illegal ivory flows primarily in containers through the international shipping system. At least 100 containers may be moving annually, the majority through a small number of chokepoints.
• A large majority of all of the illegal ivory is accounted for within a small number of transactions; through a small number of ports and airports; and to a small number of criminal networks.
• Just the three ports of Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, and Zanzibar in Kenya and Tanzania exit the majority of shipments, pointing to the need for more carefully-targeted enforcement efforts.
• The top three airports in the chain are in Nairobi, Addis Ababa, and Johannesburg.
• Traffickers able to operate from the forest to the market can earn more than 2,500% in profit margins.