A National Response to Rhino Poaching in South Africa

D. BalfourEastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency

BLEAK PICTURE

• In the past year, the western black rhino and the northern white rhino went extinct in the wild in Africa

• In the past year the Javan rhino went extinct in the wild in Vietnam

• In the past two years over 750 rhino were poached in RSA

WHITE RHINO

From: < 100(1920)To: > 21 000 (2010)

100

20 000

1920 2010

• A proudly South African effort

• Globally strategic advantage for the ensuring the continued survival of white rhino

BLACK RHINO

1975 1995 2010 60 000 2 500 4 500 ≈700 800 1 800

1000

4500

1975 2010

Significance?

• An increasingly important South African contribution

• We have gained a globally strategic position for ensuring the survival of black rhino

National Imperative

• Constitution• NEMA• Biodiversity Act

• Build on a national success story

• Strategic positioning

1. Increase the chance of being caught

• Improve communication between law enforcement and intelligence agencies

• Support field law enforcement efforts through improving training in para-military type skills

• Enhance early carcass detection (in strategic areas – e.g. Eastern border of KNP)

• Improve detection of horn at custom facilities• Maintain and grow the DNA database

2. Reduce opportunities to evade the law

• Revise legislation to close loop-holes used to launder horn through “pseudo-hunting”

• Impose harsh penalties on individuals who collaborate with illegal rhino activity

• Avoid the temptation to target certain states• Establish an efficient and effective national

database (along lines of E-Natis) to manage permits, hunting and movement of horn

3. Increase chances of being prosecuted

• The DNA database is a critical element of this• Provide supportive training for staff in “Crime

scene management” and “Chain of Evidence”• Provide supportive training to prosecutorial

and judicial staff• Treat the matter as serious or organised crime

and tackle it as such

4. Increase disincentives

• Shift sentences from fines to custodial time with a high limit

• Promote asset forfeiture action where convicted individuals have purchased significant property

5. Reduce reward for sale of horn

• Long term strategy of raising awareness in user-countries (requires ongoing involvement of staff from Ministry of International Relations)

• Promote horn availability by promoting white rhino “horn farming” in user countries (very important proviso is to avoid this farming in RSA)

Additional considerations...1

• The fact that white and black rhino have gained economic value has been key to their survival

• Private sector are very important stakeholders and we must support their participation

• Do not ban hunting and keep open mind to the sale of rhino from natural mortality – critical to manage it well

Additional considerations...2

• Conservation of the South African gene pool is essential and activities like farming rhino put that at risk

• Ensure maintenance of “wild-type” in the RSA gene pool by prohibiting horn farming in RSA while promoting it outside the country

• Need to avoid the temptation to focus on few large populations (or state only populations) – could result in displacement of poaching focus

How should this be done

• Need a National Task Team comprised of main stake-holders to co-ordinate this response

• This team needs to be adequately resourced

• Team needs high levels of inter-governmental coordination

Thank you for your time