Will lifting ban save SA’S rhinos?
Activists divided over call to end 42-year embargo which has failed to stop poaching
IT’S BEEN one of the thorniest and most polarising issues in rhino conservation for years: should the government petition the global wildlife trade authority to overturn the 42-year-old ban on the international trade in rhino horn?
For Pelham Jones, the answer is clear. “The reality is that the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) trade ban has not worked by any reasonable measure and has, on the contrary, helped create a vast illegal market dominated by transnational crime syndicates that remain untouchable,” said the chairperson of the Private Rhino Owners Association.
Of the 8 000 rhinos slaughtered in South Africa since 2008, 1 300 were killed on private reserves, where the value of rhino has plummeted. Annual rhino security costs on private, provincial and national reserves was an estimated R2 billion a year, he said.
“Who will help cover these costs? If we’re allowed to trade in rhino horn, rhino will become the most protected and valuable animal in Africa. It’s possible to meet the demand from well-regulated trade, as substantial stockpiles do exist and the ability to dehorn without killing is what could save the species.”
Trade of the local stockpile, of which two-thirds belong to the state, could generate R60bn over a five-year period, “bringing much needed revenue back to conservation and reducing poaching pressure on our wild populations”.
But Jo Shaw, the manager of World Wide Fund for Nature-sa’s rhino programme, does not see a role for the international trade in rhino horn presently. Shaw and Jones were members of a committee of inquiry tasked with investigating the feasibility of South Africa tabling a proposal for a trade in rhino horn, or not.
“During 2015-2016 prior to Cites COP17, the then-minister established a committee to decide whether South Africa should submit a proposal for international trade in rhino horn or not.
“The committee identified areas which required action to create an environment conducive for conservation – security, community empowerment, biological management, responsive legislation and demand management.
“WWF continue to support this process and believe sustainable use can only achieve its stated goals under scenarios of good governance, which have yet to be evidenced in South Africa and particularly in other key countries associated with rhino horn trafficking and consumption. For these reasons our position remains unchanged.”
Jones said private owners were “angry and disappointed” South Africa did not table a trade proposal for the upcoming 18th meeting of Cites in Sri Lanka (COP18). The decision was “unacceptable, illogical and indefensible”.
“This year would have been the perfect time for a trade proposal together with Eswatini (Swaziland) and Namibia.”
Namibia is proposing to downlist its white rhinos to Appendix II, to allow only international commercial trade in live animals and hunting trophies, while the proposal from Eswatini seeks to allow unrestricted international commercial trade in all its white rhino population, currently included in Appendix II.
South Africa’s position, claimed Jones, contradicted statements by late environmental affairs minister Edna Molewa and the Department of Environmental Affairs of “the need to incentivise and assist private owners, the recommendations of the Scientific Authority to table a trade proposal and totally ignoring requests for international trade from the wildlife industry.
“We expected a trade proposal in 2016 at COP17. Again to be let down for COP18 means our next chance is COP19 in 2022. This is a terrible decision and will have far reaching negative effects to our rhino conservation burden.”
But Albi Modise, spokesperson for the department, said following the commission of inquiry, several recommendations on minimum requirements that must be met to create an environment conducive for rhino conservation were made.
“This was to effectively address rhino poaching and the illegal trade in rhino horn, and to reach a point where any potential trade would contribute to conservation outcomes. Subsequently, the rhino lab was established, and the recommendations of the commission were developed into initiatives that involved national departments and stakeholders and were interrogated at this platform.
“After the process, and taking to account the rhino lab initiatives were not fully implemented, it was decided that Cites COP18 will not be the appropriate COP for such a proposal due to among other reasons that there is no adequate system in place to manage illegal trade and the department is still amending various legislation to improve the management of legal traded rhino horn.”
Dr Andrew Taylor, wildlife trade and ranching project manager at Endangered Wildlife Trust, said its main concerns around legalising trade were that exporting and importing countries will not be able to regulate the trade sufficiently to prevent large-scale laundering.
“We do not know how the markets for horn (including criminals running illegal markets) will react to legalising trade. Increased poaching is a plausible outcome, but so is decreased poaching.”
Save the Rhino International said: “No one can know what the real impact of opening up such a trade would be, and there are plausible arguments that it would be positive or negative… Beware anyone who makes definitive statements about an uncertain future. When the stakes – the survival or extinction of rhinos – are this high, everyone’s nervous about making the wrong decision.”
Andrea Crosta, of the Elephant Action League, termed the push for legal trade a “huge gamble in a market where nothing from nature can be really sustainable for long.
“It will send the message to Asian buyers that to buy rhino is okay, is legal and easily available. This will fuel demand and produce many new buyers, in a market of 2 billion potential buyers.
“To satisfy the demand, especially for the buyers who want wild rhino, all rhinos in Africa and Asia will become a target.”
Serious intelligence work on transnational criminal networks is the only way to truly disrupt the slaughter.