China has announced it will ban all domestic trade in ivory by the end of 2017.
According to a statement by the State Council, China will gradually stop the processing and sales of ivory for commercial purposes by the end of 2017.
The announcement follows China's move in March this year to widen a ban on imports of all ivory and ivory products acquired before 1975.
African ivory is highly sought-after in China, where it is seen as a status symbol. Prices can reach as high as 1-thousand 1-hundred per kilogram.
Activists have welcomed China's pledge as a game-changer for African elephants.
