In the last week of January, Hong Kong finally banned the ivory trade. Sales will be gradually phased out and lawmakers plan to have sales completely stopped by 2021.

It may seem like a long wait, but Hong Kong is considered the largest ivory market in the world, so this is a landmark decision. But it will take time to completely eliminate such a large portion of Hong Kong’s trade.

Lawmakers have set a plan to gradually ban ivory sales, according to the BBC.

“First, there will be a ban on hunting trophies and ivory from after 1975, when the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) took effect…ivory obtained before 1975 will also be included. And finally, traders will be obliged to dispose of their stock by 2021.”

However, will the ivory trade move elsewhere?

It’s possible. Luckily, many other countries have also banned the sale of ivory. The United Kingdom banned the practice in Oct. 2017. Mainland China, accounting for 70 percent of the world’s ivory demand, banned its sale in early January. The popular PBS show, “Antiques Roadshow,” has banned the showing of ivory items.

This doesn’t change the fact that ivory is still valued by many people. Some ivory traders are part of a centuries-long tradition of hunting for ivory.

There are also collectors who covet ivory. Sadly, there may also be ivory in circulation and it may be too late to reverse the damage done to wild elephants.

The practice has had devastating effects on wild elephant populations. Some estimates suggest there may be no more wild populations left in a decade.

While the ban may be too late to help, this gives hope to other conservation efforts. The same logic could easily be applied to other wild animals that are in dangers. Elephants, sharks and multitudes of other animals are poached for improvable medicinal treatments and pure sport.

It’s time to think about conservation proactively, rather than enacting solutions at near extinction for species like the elephant.