Sec. 2. Findings and purpose
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The Congress finds that— poaching of African elephants and rhinoceros has increased dramatically since 2006, and has reached levels that threaten the continued existence of many elephant and rhinoceros populations; poaching of African elephants and rhinoceros is being driven by increased demand for ivory and rhinoceros horn in Asia, which has caused ivory and rhinoceros horn prices to rise exponentially in recent years; high prices have drawn organized criminal elements into the illegal trade of ivory and rhinoceros horn, and it is widely recognized that transnational crime rings involved in trafficking in drugs, guns, and humans are also responsible for trafficking in large quantities of poached ivory and rhinoceros horn from Africa to Asia; there is significant evidence that terrorist and insurgent groups in Africa, including groups with ties to Al Qaeda, are financing their operations through the sale of illegal ivory and rhinoceros horn; the elephant and rhinoceros poaching crisis has become so severe, and the tactics of poachers so sophisticated, that traditional approaches to conservation law enforcement intended to protect elephants and rhinoceros in their habitat in Africa are failing; a number of countries that serve as major source, transit, or destination points for illegal ivory and rhinoceros horn have proven unable or unwilling to stop the product from coming across their borders; and strategies to reduce demand for ivory and rhinoceros horn through education and other nonbinding means are necessary, but not sufficient, to conserve African elephant and rhinoceros populations.
The purpose of this Act is to provide a means by which the United States can affect demand for and illegal trafficking of African elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn in other countries by requiring those countries to enter into consultations with the United States to end the illegal ivory and rhinoceros horn trade, as a condition of continued access to United States markets for other natural resource products.