Elephant poaching remains at critical levels in Africa, and continues to exceed the natural elephant population growth rates. This rapidly growing transnational organized crime threatens national security, the rule of law, and economic and social development. The International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) today released ‘Guidelines on methods and procedures for ivory sampling and laboratory analysis’ in support of the deployment of forensic technology to combat elephant poaching. Led by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), as a member of ICCWC, the  Guidelines were developed together with experts from around the world.