NAIROBI, Jan. 6 -- The UN environmental agency on Monday welcomed a bold move by the Chinese government to destroy 6 tonnes of confiscated ivory in an effort to combat the illegal trade in elephant tusks.

UN Environment Program (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner congratulated China and the State Forestry Administration on the milestone event.

"The largest remaining land mammal on the planet is facing one of the greatest crises to hit the species in decades. The latest CITES data estimates that some 47,000 animals were killed in Africa in 2011 and 2012," Steiner said in a statement issued in Nairobi, Kenya.

Officials in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province pulverised 6.1 tonnes of confiscated tusks and carvings in an event attended by representatives from 10 countries including Britain, and elephant states including Kenya, Gabon, and Tanzania.

The burning of the 6.1 tonnes of ivory stockpiled over the years marks the commitment by the Chinese government to publicly fight the multi-billion-dollar illegal wildlife trade.

The seized ivory was fed into crushing machines in the southern city of Dongguan, in what was described as the first public destruction of ivory in China.

According to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), elephant poaching in Africa could lead to local extinctions if the present killing rates continue.

Steiner said the situation is particularly acute in Central Africa, where the estimated poaching rates are twice the continental average.

"Yet, there is reason for optimism," he said, adding that international cooperation is paving the way for improved law enforcement and increased efforts to reduce demand.

"These efforts need to be stepped up and strengthened to produce the desired results," Steiner added, noting that the UNEP has also seen the destruction of ivory stockpiles across range, transit and demand states: in the Philippines, Gabon, the U.S. and China among others.

"As well as create critical public awareness, such actions send a clear message that wildlife crime will not be tolerated," he added.

In a letter addressed to the UNEP last week, China invited representatives from foreign embassies, international organizations, and government departments to witness the event.

China has prepared and is implementing its comprehensive National Ivory Action Plan, as agreed with the CITES Standing Committee. The plan has been shared with the committee, which will discuss it and the other seven plans in July.

China has also provided funding to the African Elephant Fund and MIKE, and in-kind support to African range States, which will be further enhanced over the coming year.

Conservationists say rampant poaching and loss of habitats are decimating the continent's elephant populations, especially in Central African countries.

The UN estimates that over 17,000 elephants were illegally killed in monitored sites in 2011 alone. Overall figures may be much higher.

"Despite considerable efforts to combat wildlife crime, it continues to be a problem worldwide," said Secretary-General of CITES John E. Scanlon.

"Illegal trade in elephant ivory is having a devastating impact on the African elephant, and it also poses a threat to people and their livelihoods -- it must stop. China, and the entire international community, are determined to end this illicit trade. "

Concern is growing among conservationists that the endangered African elephant is currently grappling with what could be the worst crisis to ever hit them since 1989 when international commercial trade in ivory was prohibited.

Conservationists say rising demand for ivory and rhino horn in Asia has caused a poaching crisis in recent years across Kenya in particular and Africa as a whole with over 1,000 rhinos having been killed on the continent in the last 20 months.

According to African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) statistics, as many as 50,000 African elephants are killed for their tusks every year.

Criminal networks are responsible for the illegal trafficking of ivory between Africa and Asia. Large-scale seizures of ivory destined for Asia have more than doubled since 2009 and reached an all-time high in 2011.