Factbox on the state of the African elephant

The population of the African elephant has dropped from about 1.3 million in 1979 to as low as low as 470 today.

Various reasons have been given for the big drop in the elephant population, with the primary cause being poaching for ivory. Other reasons for the drop include loss of natural habitat due to human encroachment on elephant range.

The 1989 CITES Convention of Parties (COP7) banned international trade in ivory from 1990. Following the ban, demand for ivory plummetted in the world as prices also registered a big drop.

Elephant populations in Africa could recover. For example, the population of elephant in Kenya had dropped 90 percent between 1973 to 1989 from 167,000 to 16,000. The population has since risen to about 30,000 today.

Still, poaching goes on in Africa due to the high demand for ivory and its products in Asia. An estimated 38,000 elephants are killed annually in Africa by poachers.

A kilogramme of ivory sells for as much of Sh115,000 ($1,500) in some Asian countries. The same weight in Kenya is bought for only Sh3,000.

CITES is an international treaty ratified by 175 countries or Parties. The aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild fauna and flora does not threaten the survival of the species.

The last meeting was CoP14 held in the Hague, 3-15 June 2007. The next meeting will be held in Doha, Qatar, 13-25 March 2010.