Debate blooms over whether mammoth ivory 'gold rush' in Russia is ethical alternative or another form of poaching

Activists and officials in Russia are warning of a "gold rush" for mammoth ivory in the country as permafrost thaws in the Yakutia region in the eastern half of the country, The Guardian reports.

The melting permafrost, induced by climate change, has made it easier for prospectors to find and dig up woolly mammoth tusks and other remains that can then be sold to China, where they are fashioned into jewelry and other decorations, for a small fortune. Woolly mammoth ivory preserved in permafrost in Yakutia reportedly makes up 80 percent of Russia's trade in what is largely an unregulated market worth tens of millions each year.

But it's become a point of contention.

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Activists and regional officials aim to regulate the trade market, which reportedly could cause harm to local business and the environment and is seen by some as another method of poaching. For the first time an international organization will review a proposal to give woolly mammoths, which have long been extinct, a protected status normally reserved for living, endangered species.

However, local officials argue that such a measure could disenfranchise residents in Yakutia, who they say should have the right to collect a limited number of tusks and live off the proceeds. The trade has also been promoted in China as an ethical alternative to tusks poached from African elephants. Read more at The Guardian.