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(one of the immediate side effects of yesterday’s announcement
could be an even more alarming spike in poaching levels over the
next few years as criminal syndicates embark on a massive
“shopping spree” to stockpile horns in advance, to counter the
future loss of profits if trade is legalised. Roger
Porter, the former head of conservation planning for Ezemvelo
KZN Wildlife, said a legal trading system would make it possible
for Chinese and Vietnamese buyers to acquire horns legally and
possibly at lower prices.) www.iol.co.za/mercury Plan to sell stockpiled rhino horns could backfire on SASOUTH Africa has stepped into the jaws of international controversy by broadcasting plans to sell up to 18 tons of stockpiled rhino horns to China and Vietnam, raising fears that criminal syndicates will counter-attack with a renewed “tsunami” of poaching and horn stockpiling. This was one of the warnings emerging from wildlife experts last night after Environment Minister Edna Molewa announced that the cabinet had approved plans to challenge the 36-year-old global ban on rhino horn sales at the next meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites). A detailed proposal will be presented to the Cites meeting in South Africa in 2016. The main rationale for selling legally stockpiled rhino horns is to take illegal business away from criminals and to raise more money to protect South Africa’s rhinos from poachers. But one of the immediate side effects of yesterday’s announcement could be an even more alarming spike in poaching levels over the next few years as criminal syndicates embark on a massive “shopping spree” to stockpile horns in advance, to counter the future loss of profits if trade is legalised. Roger Porter, the former head of conservation planning for Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, said a legal trading system would make it possible for Chinese and Vietnamese buyers to acquire horns legally and possibly at lower prices. This would threaten the profit margins of criminal syndicates and their ability to dictate black-market prices, if Cites approved a new system of legal trading. Some economists have predicted that southern African nations could raise at least R700 million each year by gradually selling government and private stockpiles of rhino horns collected over the past few decades. Although Porter is a supporter of controlled rhino horn trading, he criticised Molewa for failing to reveal more concrete proposals on how the new system of legal trading might work. “I am worried that the syndicates are going to hit us now with a tidal wave of poaching, unless the government puts extra security measures in place immediately to safeguard rhino populations.” Porter said that even if South Africa was able to win approval from Cites at the 2016 meeting, it was highly unlikely that any horns could be sold legally to China or Vietnam for at least five years, and possibly even longer. “I think we should be extremely worried what our rhino population will be in five or six years from now. And if the level of poaching increases before the next Cites meeting it will simply add fuel to the fire of organisations that are opposed to legal trading. There is a very tough road ahead if South Africa hopes to convince Cites to allow legal trading, and I am disappointed that the government has not spelled out exactly how it aims to establish a feasible model for legal trading. “We should have got our act together at least three or four years ago, because this is no longer just a conservation issue. “It is now an international trading issue, and
I would have thought that the Department of International
Relations and the Department of Trade and Industry would be
working together to engage potential trading partners such as
China and Vietnam and other Cites member nations.” *** SA move on rhino ban splits opinionALTHOUGH South Africa began testing international opinion earlier this year, the government announcement made yesterday on legalised rhino horn trading, was the first official confirmation of a direct challenge to the global trading ban that was put in place in 1977 – but which has largely failed to reverse the slaughter of Africa’s rhino. In the space of just 25 years, nearly 95 percent of Africa’s black rhino were decimated by poachers, dropping from about 65 000 animals in 1975 to just 2 400 survivors in 1995. South Africa’s white rhinos, by contrast, have recovered steadily from the point of near extinction. In 1910, there were fewer than 50 southern white rhino left in the world, but by 2010 their numbers had multiplied to more than 20 000 – largely under the custodianship of South African conservation agencies and private wildlife ranchers. Though the attempt to introduce a new system of regulated rhino horn trade is likely to face a very rocky international ride, the pro-trading lobby could be bolstered by the fact that South Africa protects more than 73 percent of the world’s remaining rhino population. The campaign also has the support of local conservation agencies and rhino conservation veteran, Ian Player. However, several conservation and animal rights lobbies remain strongly opposed to a resumption of legal rhino horn trading, arguing that it will send mixed messages about the need to conserve rhino and possibly stimulate the demand for rhino horn. To gain the necessary twothirds majority, South African negotiators will have to work hard to convince the 178 Cites member nations that legal trading will reduce poaching levels. Observers said opponents would only need to muster about 54 votes to block South Africa’s proposal. Reacting to Molewa’s announcement, the South African chapter of the environmental group WWF said it was not convinced that legal trading of rhino horn was a feasible approach “at this time”. “The unacceptable and increasing rate of illegal killing of rhinos is of extreme concern to WWF,” the group said. |
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