Pro-traders ‘shoot daggers’ over rhino horn
Call for delegates to work together instead of having divisive talks on controversial issue
COLIN Bell knew the pro-traders in the conference room were shooting daggers at him. “Come, I’m ready for you,” he told them. “You know, we should be working together. But instead we’re having these divisive talks about how we should be handling our rhinos and trading in their horn.”
Bell, himself a rhino owner, claimed that a “sliver” of South Africa’s rhino owners were pushing for a legal rhino horn trade and fuelling “myths” about how the international 40year ban on rhino horn trade had failed.
“At the moment their rhino horn is worth zero. If they can persuade the world to go and have trade legalised, their horn is worth billions… Don’t give me the story that trade bans never worked. They do work,” he said on the sidelines of Cites CoP17.
Bell urged South Africa’s authorities to abandon any notion of a legal rhino horn trade in the future. “Please for sanity, eliminate all policies that mention trade. Stop sending mixed messages to the Far East and our rhinos will have a chance.
“The only people benefiting are the illegal poaching syndicates who thrive on our confusion,” he said.
Anti- t rade proponents maintain that legal trade in far med rhinos won’t save South Africa’s rhinos, citing how the commercial farming of tigers and bears has not protected them in the wild.
But Wiaan van der Linde, of Wildlife Ranching SA, said Cites must remain true to its original aim of ensuring the sustainable use of species and ecosystems, “which support millions of rural communities and major industries.
“With few exceptions, southern Africa is the custodian of the world’s last remaining rhino and so far the region has done an outstanding job of conserving the species.
“Sustainable utilisation is a policy that has allowed southern Africa’s rural communities to benefit from wildlife and, in the process, has allowed people and wild animals to live together. “It’s high time the policy is applied to rhinos. If it’s not, we fear that the next time Cites meets in three years’ time, rhino will only be found in zoos and a few parks.”
The issue of trading in rhino horn and controversial proposals by Namibia and Zimbabwe, which South Africa supports – to trade in ivory are highly controversial at Cites, especially as elephant poaching is on the rise in Southern Africa. Several African countries, including Kenya are opposed to trade in ivory.
A proposal by South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, for a decision-making mechanism to be created to permit trade in ivory, was thrown out this week. About 27 000 elephants have been slaughtered every year since 2008, largely for their ivory on the continent.
But this week, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa, joined by her counter- parts from Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia, derided “eco-terrorists from Europe”, who were fighting their policies of sustainable use of wildlife - crudely if it pays, it stays.
She believed there was still hope for a regulated ivory trade from Cites. “We’d like to reiterate that issues such as our elephants, lions, hunting trophies, or burning stockpiles… All this has to do with our policy enshrined in our constitution of sustainable use. Conservation and beneficiation are inseparable.”
Anti-trade groups argue that little money flowed into communities from South Africa’s once-off ivory sale in 2008.
But Molewa added: “Our local people have said they are the custodians of natural resources and want to co-exist with wildlife. But they need to benefit from it.”
Molewa cited the downlisting of the Cape Mountain Zebra, whose numbers have swelled to 5 000, to Appendix II of Cites this week as a success, which would now allow for the “sustainable offstake” of the species. “Our decisions at Cites must not be based on emotions, but on science and evidence.”
Pohamba Shifeta, the Namibian Environment Minister, said communities bore the brunt of wildlife conflict, losing their land and even their lives.
“We have an overpopulation of species. We have 22 000 elephants in our country, half of which is desert, and conflict with humans is escalating, especially in this drought.”
Zimbabwean Environmental Minister Oppah Muchinguri said 65 people had been killed by lions this year. “But we only hear about Cecil the lion.”