He co-authored a report on the success of the ivory ban in 1994.

"From a conservation point of view, the ivory ban and the hunting legislation is a disaster," said Dr. Martin.

The United States and some European members, especially France, had led a strong lobby against the easing of the 1989 ivory ban.

He said that instead of an ivory ban, help in controlling poaching should go to African countries.

Efforts for an ivory ban have won support from the United States, the European Community and Japan.

Over a period of more than a year, in what seemed to be never-ending "blood and guts" meetings, the American group debated the ivory ban.

Only recently, with the adoption of a worldwide ivory ban at an international conference in Switzerland, has the price of ivory tusks dropped.

It is widely accepted that the ivory ban worked.

The ivory ban (1990) would not have been in place without EIA.

This has been called "one of the worst concentrated killings" since the ivory ban.