导读:象牙是一种昂贵的材料，它最大的经济价值，吸引了广大的非法狩猎市场。
Delegates at a UN wildlife conference have endorsed calls for the closure of all domestic ivory markets.
一场联合国野生动植物会议上的代表，已经支持呼吁关闭所有的国内象牙市场。
The non-binding proposal was approved at a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) in South Africa.
在南非举行的频临物种国际贸易惯例会议上，这个非约束性提案批准通过。
Conservationists hailed it as a significant step towards ending the current elephant poaching crisis.
保护主义者欢呼道，这是结束目前象群非法狩猎危机迈出的关键一步。
However Japan, which has a large domestic ivory trade, said the proposal did not apply there.
然而，拥有巨大国内象牙贸易的日本称，本国不适用提案。
While the international market in ivory has been closed since 1989, legal domestic markets have continued in many countries around the world.
尽管自1983年以来，国际象牙市场已经关闭了，但是国内非法市场还是在全球很多国家继续。
There has been growing concern that domestic trading has encouraged the poaching of elephants.
人们越来越关心，国内贸易已经鼓励了大象非法狩猎。
A surge in killing over the past seven years has seen populations across Africa shrink by a third, according to the recently published Great Elephant Census. What is driving the slaughter is the value of ivory, which can sell for around $1,100 (850 pounds) per kilo in China.
据最近发布的象群数量普查，在过去七年里，屠杀增加已经让全非洲的象群数量减少了三分之一。屠杀的幕后推手是象牙的价值，在中国，每千克象牙的售价大约为1100美元（850英镑）。
Countries including the US and China have announced plans to close their markets. The UK recently did the same, banning all trade in ivory dated from 1947 until the present day.
包括美国和中国在内的国家已经宣布计划关闭国内市场。近日，英国也作出了同样的举动，禁止从1947年延续至今的所有象牙交易。
Trade in materials from before 1947 will continue.
1947以前的材料贸易仍将继续。
While the nations attending this conference are divided on the best approach to protecting elephants, a compromise on the issue of closing domestic markets was arrived at after some heated discussions in a working group. However the measure then passed by consensus.
尽管参加这次会议的所有国家，根据什么是保护象群的最好方式被进行了分类，在经过一个工作组的热烈讨论以后，在关闭国内市场的问题各国达成了妥协。然而，措施通过协商一致通过了。
The agreed text calls is not legally binding and Cites can’t compel countries to follow, but conservationists believe that it is a strong move as it is the first time that the 183 countries that have signed the Convention have taken a unified position on this question.
协议文本并不是合法的限制条约，野生动植物组织也不能强迫各国遵守，但是保护主义者认为，这是非常有力的举动，因为这是183个国家首次在这个问题上站在同一边，签署惯例。
"It’s an important step on the road to closing worldwide ivory markets. It’s the first time that Cites has agreed to intervene so directly in domestic ivory," said Robert Hepworth, a former chair of the Cites standing committee.
野生动植物组织常务委员会前主席Robert Hepworth说：“这是关闭全球象牙市场重要的一步。这是野生动植物组织首次同意如此直接地干预国内象牙市场。”
Because it is a compromise, the new resolution does come with a significant caveat. It encourages countries to close their markets where those markets are "contributing to poaching or illegal trade".
因为是妥协，新的解决方案没有遇到重大的警告。它鼓励各国关闭主张非法猎杀或者贸易的国内市场。
Some countries, including Japan are likely to argue that their markets don’t contribute to poaching so they don’t need to close them.
包括日本在内的一些国家，可能会争论道，它们的市场不是非法狩猎，所以不需要关闭。
Speaking to the Japanese press, the country’s environment minister expressed the view that the resolution wouldn’t apply to Japan as there was no poached ivory in their market. Campaigners disagree vehemently.
谈到日本媒体，国内环境部长对解决方案表达出如下观点，方案将不会在日本实行，因为它们的市场没有非法狩猎的象牙，活动家反对强烈。
"There is evidence that has shown that Japan’s market has illegal ivory, fraudulent documents are used and there is ivory from illegal or unknown origins circulating in the market," said Iris Ho, from Humane Society International.
来自国际人权社会的Iris Ho说：“有证据显示，日本市场拥有非法象牙，使用了具有欺诈性的文件，市场上存在流通的非法或者不知出处的象牙。”
