At first glance you may have read this headline and thought "what a terrible thing to do," but if you take a moment to understand the economics behind the decision you will see that reversing the ban on Elephant ivory will actually do more to save the elephants than the ban itself.
The Obama administration put the ban in place in 2014 preventing the import of any elephant trophies but the Trump administration has received new information from Zimbabwean officials which supports the reversal of the ban. For example, elephants are listed under the Endangered Species Act, but the government does allow permits for trophies in cases where there is evidence that hunting actually benefits the conservation of that species.
Some digging into the world of hunting big game in Africa actually reveals that the economy surrounding big game hunts paid for by foreign hunters and the careful monitoring of the number of animals hunted actually saves the hunted animals from going extinct by providing the funding required to keep them alive. This includes such costs as the staff to monitor the land and stops the poachers themselves. Something almost nobody is going to risk their lives over for free in Africa.
The U.S. government is finally admitting the true way to save endangered species is through hunting itself as ironic as that sounds. A Fish and Wildlife spokesperson said in a statement, "Legal, well-regulated sports hunting as part of a sound management program can benefit the conservation of certain species by providing incentives to local communities to conserve the species and by putting much-needed revenue back into conservation."
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Source: abcnews.go.com/US/trump-admin-reverse-ban-elephant-trophies-africa/story?id=51178663
Hunting is why many species in Africa HAVEN'T gone extinct, it funds the conservation efforts. Many hunts cost thousands upon thousands of dollars and the meat is often given to the villagers. One giraffe can feed hundreds of orphans for weeks.