A herd of elephants strides through Kenya's Amboseli National Park at dawn, with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background © Ben Curtis/AP/Press Association Images
Illegal poachers are massacring Africa's elephants, and their activities are largely funded by Chinese demand for ivory. Unless that demand is quashed, the authorities will be powerless to protect these vulnerable animals.
In the late 1970s there were 1.3m elephants in Africa. Today, conservationists believe there are as few as 300,000, with official figures ranging from 470,000 to 690,000.
China is a major buyer of ivory. In 2008, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species allowed a "one-off" sale of 200 tonnes of ivory to China and Japan from Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. Ever since, ivory's popularity has increased among the Chinese middle classes, fuelling a huge black market.
We want your help to bring this problem to Chinese President Xi Jinping's attention. Send us a letter addressed to Xi and, if it is good, we will use our diplomatic contacts to make sure it reaches him.
Alternatively, make a video appeal to the Chinese people informing them of the issue. Upload it to YouTube, send us the link, and if we like it we will promote it.
Email your letter or a video link to letters@prospectmagazine.co.uk, or tweet it at us using the hashtag #elephantcampaign.
Read about the plight of Africa's elephants from January's Prospect
Follow #elephantcampaign for updates.
